EBOOK
About
Unbelievable explodes seven of the most popular and pernicious myths about science and religion. Michael Newton Keas, a historian of science, lays out the facts to show how far the conventional wisdom departs from reality. He also shows how these myths have proliferated over the past four centuries and exert so much influence today, infiltrating science textbooks and popular culture. The seven myths, Keas shows, amount to little more than religion bashing-especially Christianity bashing. Unbelievable reveals:
-Why the "Dark Ages" never happened
-Why we didn't need Christopher Columbus to prove the earth was round
-Why Copernicus would be shocked to learn that he supposedly demoted humans from the center of the universe
-What everyone gets wrong about Galileo's clash with the Church, and why it matters today
-Why the vastness of the universe does not deal a blow to religious belief in human significance
-How the popular account of Giordano Bruno as a "martyr for science" ignores the fact that he was executed for theological reasons, not scientific ones
-How a new myth is being positioned to replace religion-a futuristic myth that sounds scientific but isn't
In debunking these myths, Keas shows that the real history is much more interesting than the common narrative of religion at war with science. This accessible and entertaining book offers an invaluable resource to students, scholars, teachers, homeschoolers, and religious believers tired of being portrayed as anti-intellectual and anti-science.
-Why the "Dark Ages" never happened
-Why we didn't need Christopher Columbus to prove the earth was round
-Why Copernicus would be shocked to learn that he supposedly demoted humans from the center of the universe
-What everyone gets wrong about Galileo's clash with the Church, and why it matters today
-Why the vastness of the universe does not deal a blow to religious belief in human significance
-How the popular account of Giordano Bruno as a "martyr for science" ignores the fact that he was executed for theological reasons, not scientific ones
-How a new myth is being positioned to replace religion-a futuristic myth that sounds scientific but isn't
In debunking these myths, Keas shows that the real history is much more interesting than the common narrative of religion at war with science. This accessible and entertaining book offers an invaluable resource to students, scholars, teachers, homeschoolers, and religious believers tired of being portrayed as anti-intellectual and anti-science.
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Reviews
"Unbelievable should be on the shelf of every science popularizer and college astronomy professor. Perhaps then we can begin to purge our culture of the 'science is the enemy of religion' myths Michael Keas slays in his refreshingly contrarian book."
Guillermo Gonzalez, Assistant Professor of Astronomy, Ball State University
"Not content to knock down the myths about the alleged conflict between science and religion, Mike Keas shows where they came from and how science popularizers like Carl Sagan have used them to further their own agendas. Using a wide range of sources, including textbooks and television shows, Keas explains how these myths got into the bloodstream of our culture. An invaluable resource."
James Hannam, author of God's Philosophers and The Genesis of Science
"Michael Keas decisively debunks an array of myths that have long impeded our understanding of the histories of science and of religion. Unbelievable may earn Keas plenty of enemies, but nobody concerned with real evidence can dismiss his argument out of hand. This is a brilliant, engaging, and important contribution to a debate about truly universal matters."
Dennis Danielson, Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia