Religion and the Rise of Modern Science

At a time when religion and science are seen by many to be antagonists locked in a battle to the death, Professor Hooykaas offers a refreshing and somewhat startling proposition: modern science, he suggests, is in good part a product of the Judaeo-Christian influence on Western thought. To support this thesis, Hooykaas calls on his vast knowledge of the history of philosophy, religion, science, technology and culture, concluding that "metaphorically speaking, whereas the bodily ingredients of science may have been Greek, its vitamins and hormones were biblical." The role of Protestantism -- and especially that of Calvinist Puritanism -- in the rise of classical modern science is given particular emphasis. And in general, Hooykaas finds that religion exerted a healthy influence on the development of scientific thought. Religion and the Rise of Modern Science is a learned and erudite historical analysis -- but it is also a fascinating and readable account of religion at work in the world.