The Territories of Human Reason

Benjamin Murphy, The Heythrop Journal It is magisterial in a good sense in that every page reflects the breadth of McGrath's knowledge, and most readers will find they have something to learn ... This would then be a good book to recommend to undergraduates who are just starting to understand academic debates about science and religion. They would gain from it a good sense of current work.

Randal Rauser, Taylor Seminary, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith I found The Territories of Human Reason to offer a rich and eminently helpful survey of the land. McGrath's realist orientation combined with his commitment to multiple situated rationalities strikes just the right balance between the Scylla of Enlightenment reason and the Charybdis of postmodern skepticism. The Territories of Human Reason would make an excellent (and surprisingly affordable) textbook for a course in science and theology, prolegomena/fundamental theology, or philosophy of religion.

Finley Lawson, Canterbury Christ Church University, Modern Believing McGrath provides a clear and detailed exploration of the issues of rationality and coherence and is a must-read text for those seeking to bring science and religion into dialogue or integration.

Paul Allen, Theological Studies ...a brisk and versatile survey of the status of reason in contemporary science and theology, this volume is a fresh and bold contribution.

Fr. Alessandro Mantini, European Society for the Study of Science and Theology The book is really rich and stimulating mostly because it is well structured in an organic exploration which is strengthened by the studies of such a large number of qualified scholars. It also develops a very balanced theological view, the author having been involved for many years with really wide studies in scienceandreligion concerns ... I really recommend the reading and study of this book, which presents an analysis and synthesis offering a wide range of opportunities and sparks for further discussions and researches.

The Washington BookReview The Territories of Human Reason is a very timely and important addition to the literature on the study of rationality... [It] will have very profound social as well as scientific implications for the interpretation of rationality and change the debate on the links between rationality and Christian theology. It is comprehensive, judicious and insightful. It is a very well-researched work that makes a complex subject readable for lay readers.

David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer A rigorous delineation of the territories of human reason and a useful discussion of multiple nationalities in scientific and theological terms

Victoria Johnson, Church Times This is a book for those who have an interest in science and religion, and for anyone interested in how we can intellectually navigate a complex world. It is for those who are tired of easy answers and crave critical analysis and intellectual clarity on...

Alister E. McGrath is Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion and Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at the University of Oxford. After his doctoral research on molecular biophysics, he studied Christian theology, with a particular interest in developing understandings of the possible relationships between the natural sciences and theology. McGrath has published extensively in the field of science and religion, and been a significant voice in recent debates with writers such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens over the rationality of religious faith, and its relation to a scientific culture. His publications include The Great Mystery: Science, God and the Human Quest for Meaning (2017), Inventing the Universe: Why We Can't Stop Talking about Science, Faith and God (2016), and Science and Religion: A New Introduction (2010).

1: Introduction: Science and Theology in an Age of 'Multiple Situated Rationalities' Mapping the Territories of Human Reason Mapping the Territories of Science and Religion The Aim of this Book Part 1: Exploring the notion of Rationality 1: One Reason; Multiple Rationalities: The New Context of Discussion Shifting Notions of Rationality Rationality, Embodiment, and Embeddedness Reflections on the Cultural and Social Embeddedness of Rationality The Embodiment of Right Reason: The 'Wise' Concerns about Human Rationality One Reason; Multiple Rationalities Rationality, Ideology, and Power 2: Mapping Human Reason: Rationalities across Disciplinary Boundaries On the Correlation of Rationalities Scientism: The Natural Sciences as the Ultimate Rational Authority Multiple Perspectives on a Complex Reality Science and Theology: Distinct Perspectives on Reality Science and Theology: Distinct Levels of Reality 3: Social Aspects of Rationality: Tradition and Epistemic Communities Communities and their Epistemic Systems Rationality, Community, and Tradition Rationality and Dominant Cultural Metanarratives Science and Religion: Reflections on the Communal Aspects of Knowledge Part II: Rationality in Science and Theology 4: Rational Virtues and the Problem of Theory Choice What is a theory? Inference to the Best Explanation Correspondence and Coherence as Theoretical Virtues Objectivity Simplicity Elegance and Beauty A Capacity to Predict 5: Rational Explanation in Science and Religion What Does it Mean to 'Explain'? Causality as Explanation Unification as Explanation Two Approaches to Explanation: Ontic and Epistemic Religious Explanation: Some General Reflections Religious Explanation: Ontic and Epistemic Theology, Ontology, and Explanation A Case Study: Aquinas's 'Second Way' The Image of God and Religious Explanation Understanding and Explaining: A Religious Perspective 6: From Observation to Theory: Deduction, Induction, and Abduction The Entanglement of Theory and Observation Logics of Discovery and Justification Deduction in the Natural Sciences Deduction in Christian Theology Induction in the Natural Sciences Induction in Christian Theology Abduction in the Natural Sciences Abduction in Christian Theology 7: Complexity and Mystery: The Limits of Rationality Mystery and Irrationality Mystery in Science Mystery in Christian Theology The Trinity as Mystery Mystery: An Invitation to Deeper Reflection 8: Rational Consilience: Some Closing Reflections on Science and Christian Theology Towards a 'Big Picture': A Metaphysical Turn The Colligation of Insights A Case Study in Colligation: Science and Socialism A Case Study in Colligation: Science and Theology Rationality: A Cohesive Approach Conclusion Bibliography