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Question
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 Francisco
J. Ayala is professor of biological sciences
and of philosophy at the University of California,
Irvine. His scientific research focuses on population
and evolutionary genetics; he also writes about
the interface between religion and science. He is
the author of several books, including Genetics
and The Origin of Species (1997). |
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Well-informed Catholics do not see conflict between
their religious beliefs and the Darwinian theory
of biological evolution. In 1996, Pope John
Paul II stated that the conclusions reached by
scientific disciplines cannot be in contradiction
with divine Revelation, then proceeded to accept
the scientific conclusion that evolution is a
well-established theory.
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| The Pope went on to point
out that science deals with material reality, while
questions of "moral conscience, freedom, or
… of aesthetic and religious experience, fall
within the competence of philosophical analysis
and reflection, while theology brings out [their]
ultimate meaning according to the Creator's plans." |
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| For
more than a decade, I have taught the theory of
evolution to freshmen. During the early part of
the course students come to me, year after year,
to express their reservations based on their perceived
contradiction between Christian beliefs and the
theory of evolution. I treat these students with
the great respect they deserve, but respond to them
with two considerations very similar to the points
made by John Paul II. One is that the evolution
of organisms is beyond reasonable doubt, so
that the theory of evolution is accepted in this
respect with the same certainty that we attribute
to Copernicus's heliocentric theory or the molecular
composition of matter. The second consideration
is that science is a very successful way of knowing,
but not the only way. We acquire knowledge in many
other ways, such as through literature, the arts,
philosophical reflection, and religious experience.
A scientific view of the world is hopelessly incomplete.
Science seeks material explanations for material
processes, but it has nothing definitive to say
about realities beyond its scope. Once science has
had its say, there remain questions of value, purpose,
and meaning that are forever beyond science's domain,
but belong in the realm of philosophical reflection
and religious experience. |
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| (Boldface added.) |
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