The Territories of Human Reason

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 ReasonMapping the Territories of Science and ReligionThe Aim of this BookPart 1: Exploring the notion of Rationality1: One Reason; Multiple Rationalities: The New Context of DiscussionShifting Notions of RationalityRationality, Embodiment, and EmbeddednessReflections on the Cultural and Social Embeddedness of RationalityThe Embodiment of Right Reason: The 'Wise'Concerns about Human RationalityOne Reason; Multiple RationalitiesRationality, Ideology, and Power2: Mapping Human Reason: Rationalities across Disciplinary BoundariesOn the Correlation of RationalitiesScientism: The Natural Sciences as the Ultimate Rational AuthorityMultiple Perspectives on a Complex RealityScience and Theology: Distinct Perspectives on RealityScience and Theology: Distinct Levels of Reality3: Social Aspects of Rationality: Tradition and Epistemic CommunitiesCommunities and their Epistemic SystemsRationality, Community, and TraditionRationality and Dominant Cultural MetanarrativesScience and Religion: Reflections on the Communal Aspects of KnowledgePart II: Rationality in Science and Theology4: Rational Virtues and the Problem of Theory ChoiceWhat is a theory?Inference to the Best ExplanationCorrespondence and Coherence as Theoretical VirtuesObjectivitySimplicityElegance and BeautyA Capacity to Predict5: Rational Explanation in Science and ReligionWhat Does it Mean to 'Explain'?Causality as ExplanationUnification as ExplanationTwo Approaches to Explanation: Ontic and EpistemicReligious Explanation: Some General ReflectionsReligious Explanation: Ontic and EpistemicTheology, Ontology, and ExplanationA Case Study: Aquinas's 'Second Way'The Image of God and Religious ExplanationUnderstanding and Explaining: A Religious Perspective6: From Observation to Theory: Deduction, Induction, and AbductionThe Entanglement of Theory and ObservationLogics of Discovery and JustificationDeduction in the Natural SciencesDeduction in Christian TheologyInduction in the Natural SciencesInduction in Christian TheologyAbduction in the Natural SciencesAbduction in Christian Theology7: Complexity and Mystery: The Limits of RationalityMystery and IrrationalityMystery in ScienceMystery in Christian TheologyThe Trinity as MysteryMystery: An Invitation to Deeper Reflection8: Rational Consilience: Some Closing Reflections on Science and Christian TheologyTowards a 'Big Picture': A Metaphysical TurnThe Colligation of InsightsA Case Study in Colligation: Science and SocialismA Case Study in Colligation: Science and TheologyRationality: A Cohesive ApproachConclusionBibliography

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.