Apparent Connections Amidst Science, Politics, and Religion.
Within today's society science is an entity almost entirely separate from religion and politics, yet history paints a different picture. During 17th and 18th century Europe, the spread of ideas and the inspiration to perform science were a direct result of religion and politics. The readings of Darnton, Dobbs and Jacob illuminate how social, political and religious elements were crucial to the development and spread of modern science.
Politics and religion often inspired new discoveries and perspectives in relation to science. Jacob mentions that the natural philosophers "looked forward to the progressive purification of religion and a moral reformation to which science was seen as being crucial."" Therefore, the people of this era depicted science as a key element to ignite political and religious change. Moreover, Jacob observes that the populace felt that "the discovery of nature would overcome the religious divisions and usher in a world reformation.""2 Through an expanded knowledge of nature the true religious doctrine would be located and the entire population would follow. This inspired scientists to reach new frontiers via scientific discoveries for the benefit of religion. Concepts from the variety of religions present during this time roused new ideas for scientific discovery. For example, Jacobs notes that the Stoic religion emphasized an "eternal cosmic cycle of birth, expansion, conflagration, contraction, and regeneration.""3 This cycle of the cosmos was later applied to the behavior of the universe and life. Galileo supported this concept through his telescope discoveries of the orbiting moons and planets. This displayed the cycle in which the planets move. The application of religious doctrines to science also caused the metamorphosis of scientific theory. Jacob recalls how the "Aristotelian idea of a finite universe came into conflict with the Christian doctrine of divine omnipotence.
Afterlife: In general, Native religions have no precise belief about life after death. ... Prophets: The Abramic Religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) trace their development through a series of patriarchs and prophets. Native religions do not have corresponding ancient revered persons in their background. ...
A strong social ethic, continued from the Victorian times of Dickens and Disraeli, began increasingly to influence the political character of the country and its institutions. ... Modernism is essentially post-Darwinian: it is a search to explain mankind's place in the modern world, where religion, social stability and ethics are all called into question. ... This was apparent in the poetry of the 1890s – the decade of Aestheticism and Decadence. ... He brought home to British poets the significance of French experimental symbolists like Rimbaud, Verlaine, Laforgue, and Mallarme, a...