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The Bible and its literal interpretation have played a vital role in the development of Western science

Peter Harrison
Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at the University of Oxford,
Fellow of Harris Manchester College

It is commonly supposed that when in the early modern period individuals began to look at the world in a different way, they could no longer believe what they read in the Bible. In this book I shall suggest that the reverse is the case: that when in the sixteenth century people began to read the Bible in a different way, they found themselves forced to jettison traditional conceptions of the world.1

Had it not been for the rise of the literal interpretation of the Bible and the subsequent appropriation of biblical narratives by early modern scientists, modern science may not have arisen at all. In sum, the Bible and its literal interpretation have played a vital role in the development of Western science.2

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References

  1. Harrison, P., The Bible, Protestantism and the rise of natural science, Cambridge University Press, 1998. Return to text.
  2. Harrison, P., The Bible and the rise of science, Australasian Science 23(3):14–15, 2002. Return to text.