Why Tim Andersen Fails to Reconcile Science and Religion
His arguments are weak, and he ignores the deeper conflict
I was surprised to learn that Tim Andersen, Ph.D., the theoretical physicist and Medium author with 34K followers is a Christian who sees no conflict between science and religion. On the contrary, he says in “Scientists can hold on to their faith” that “Debate on theological and philosophical grounds is far more effective in developing a coherent worldview that includes both scientific and religious perspectives.” And he lays out there how he sees scientific knowledge complementing his Christian faith.
Perhaps I should admit that, as I was reading through his article, my initial reaction was one of pity. As condescending as this sounds, what went through my mind is that this must be a heavy burden. Imagine somehow acquiring these altogether opposing perspectives, namely science and theistic religion, which happen to be important to Andersen’s identity, and having to publicly embarrass yourself in defending their compatibility so you don’t come across as muddle-headed.
Of course, we’re free to adopt foreign perspectives, as when we empathize with a stranger, read a novel and identity with the protagonist for a cathartic release, or think objectively about a problem, setting aside our background beliefs…
