Anthropology Quote by J. Anderson Thomson Jr
““There is a massive, irreconcilable conflict between science and religion. Religion was humanity's original cosmology, biology and anthropology. It provided explanations for the origin of the world, life and humans. Science now gives us increasingly complete explanations for those big three. We know the origins of the universe, the physics of the big bang and how the basic chemical elements formed in supernovas. We know that life on this planet originated about 4 billion years ago, and we are all descendants of that original replicating molecule. Thanks to Darwin we know that natural selection is the only workable explanation for the design and variety of all life on this planet. Paleoanthropologists and geneticists have reconstructed much of the human tree of life. We are risen apes, not fallen angels. We are the most successful and last surviving African hominid. Every single person on this Earth, all 7 billion of us, arose 50,000 years ago from small bands of African hunter-gatherers, a total population of somewhere between 600 and 2,000 individuals.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public Lecture on Science and Religion, 2015
Science and religion offer conflicting explanations of origins; science provides empirical evidence, while religion offers mythic narratives.
In simple terms: Science and religion clash over origins.
Key Takeaway
Consider evidence over belief.
Themes
science
religion
origin stories
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
debate
When to use this quote
- education
- public policy
- personal belief
Key Concepts
empiricism
mythology
human identity
Questions to Reflect On
- Can science and religion coexist peacefully?
- What role should each play in society?
A Different Perspective
Religious perspectives can inspire moral frameworks beyond science.
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