Man and the Universe
A Study of the Influence of the Advance in Scientific Knowledge upon our Understanding of Christianity

In this 1908 work, a pioneering physicist reconciles the fundamental modern opposition between scientific rationality and religious faith.

Oliver Lodge (Author)

9781108040815, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 22 December 2011

372 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.1 cm, 0.47 kg

The physicist Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) made significant contributions to the study of electrons, electromagnetic waves, X-rays, radio and telegraphy, earning him the Rumford Medal, the Faraday Medal and, in 1902, a knighthood. In addition to serving as President of the Physical Society, Lodge succeeded F. W. H. Myers as President of the Society for Psychical Research, an organisation devoted to the study of paranormal phenomena. In this work, first published in 1908, Lodge discusses the controversy between science and faith, showing how the self-sufficient laws of 'orthodox science' may be reconciled with the divinely ordered universe of 'orthodox religion'. Immensely popular from the moment of its publication, the book reached its twenty-first printing in 1928. This sixth edition of 1909 conveys the full scope of Lodge's ambitious project, including his treatments of evolutionary science, church reform and the immortality of the soul.

Preface
Section 1. Science and Faith: 1. The outstanding controversy between science and faith
2. The reconciliation between science and faith
3. Religion, science, and miracle
Section 2. Corporate Worship and Service: 4. The alleged indifference of laymen to religion
5. Some suggestions towards reform
6. Union and breadth
7. A reformed church as an engine of progress
Section 3. The Immortality of the Soul: 8. The transitory and the permanent
9. The permanence of personality
Section 4. Science and Christianity: 10. Suggestions towards the re-interpretation of Christian doctrine
11. Sin, suffering, and wrath
12. The material element in Christianity
13. The divine element in Christianity
Glossary of technical terms and statement of mechanical laws
Index.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX]