In this 1991 volume, John Hedley Brooke offers an introduction and
critical guide to one of the most fascinating and enduring issues in the
development of the modern world: the relationship between scientific
thought and religious belief. It is common knowledge that in western
societies there have been periods of crisis when new science has
threatened established authority. The trial of Galileo in 1633 and the
uproar caused by Darwin's Origin of Species (1859) are two of the most
famous examples. Taking account of recent scholarship in the history of
science, Brooke takes a fresh look at these and similar episodes,
showing that science and religion have been mutually relevant in so rich
a variety of ways that no simple generalizations are possible. A
special feature of the book is that Brooke stands back from general
theses affirming 'conflict' or 'harmony', which have so often served
partisan interests. His object is to reveal the subtlety, complexity,
and diversity of the interaction as it has taken place in the past and
in the twentieth century.
