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RS 102 - Final Exam


Science and the Sacred
RS102 Spring 1996 Final Exam
Your name: _____________________________

Answer the short essay questions in the space provided below. Try to be comprehensive but brief in presenting a general definition or explication of a particular problem in science and religion. In most cases, books have been written about the questions below; so your job is only to show that you are conversant in the broad issues and terminology that are involved in these questions. You are encouraged to brainstorm and outline your responses on a scrap paper. Budget about 5-8 minutes per question. This exam accounts for 20 percent of your final grade.

My "model" answers to the questions are linked below. Enjoy!


1) What is the significance of Quantum Mechanics to the dialogue between science and religion dialogue?
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2) What are the three principles of Cosmogenesis as outlined by Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme (adapted from A.N. Whitehead)? Give a brief explication of each of the three principles.
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3) How does Neo-Orthodoxy (Christian or Non-Christian) approach to the relationship between science and religion (as explicated by Ian Barbour)?
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4) What is the problem of theodicy?
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5) What does Ian Barbour mean by Critical Realism as applied to science and religion?
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6) Define ontology, epistemology, and phenomenology in single sentences.
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7) What is the historical and epistemological significance of the potato to our understanding of modern science?
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8) According to Ian Barbour, what is "Classical Theism"? Give at least three problems that Barbour finds in Classical Theism and three alternative theological constructs.
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9) Define entropy and negentropy.
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10) What are some of the limitations of reductionism in the philosophy of science?
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11) In the modern cosmological narrative, what are the opportunities and dangers to life created by the invention of photosynthesis by prokaryotic cells some 2 billion years ago?
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12) What is the significance of the Jainist-Buddhist myth of the blind men and the elephant to our discussions of the relationship between science and religion? Mention a similiar insight from another religious tradition.
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Thank you for your participation in this class.
Best wishes for your continued success!

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