Informazioni su questo prodotto

Product Identifiers

PublisherWiley & Sons, Incorporated, John

ISBN-100787994669

ISBN-139780787994662

eBay Product ID (ePID)60464447

Product Key Features

Book TitleGod's Mechanics : How Scientists and Engineers Make Sense of Religion

Number of Pages256 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2007

TopicReligion & Science

GenreReligion

AuthorGuy Consolmagno

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1 in

Item Weight16 Oz

Item Length9.2 in

Item Width6.4 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2007-019067

Dewey Edition22

Dewey Decimal201/.65

Table Of ContentIntroduction: The Lord of the Techies. PART ONE: WHY WOULD A TECHIE BELIEVE IN GOD? 1. How Techies Believe. 2. Where God Is Useful. 3. Good Science, Bad Philosophy. PART TWO: WHY WOULD A TECHIE JOIN AN ORGANIZED RELIGION? 4. Big Science, Big Religion. 5. The Functions of Religion. 6. The Dangers of Organized Religion. PART THREE: WHAT IS THE TECHIE EXPERIENCE OF RELIGION? 7. Talking to Techies. 8. Listening to Techies. 9. The Rule of Rules. PART FOUR: WHY WOULD A TECHIE BE A CHRISTIAN? 10. What Does the Truth Look Like? 11. The Root of Christianity. 12. A Techie's Contemplation on the Trinity. 13. The Supernatural in Nature. PART FIVE: THE CONFESSION OF A VATICAN TECHIE 14. Why Would a Techie Be a Catholic? 15. How I Stay a Catholic. Acknowledgments. The Author. Index.

SynopsisIn God's Mechanics, Brother Guy tells the stories of those who identify with the scientific mindset--so-called "techies"--while practicing religion. A full fledged techie himself, he relates some classic philosophical reflections, his interviews with dozens of fellow techies, and his own personal take on his Catholic beliefs to provide, like a set of "worked out sample problems," the hard data on the challenges and joys of embracing a life of faith as a techie. And he also gives a roadmap of the traps that can befall an unwary techie believer. With lively prose and wry humor, Brother Guy shows how he not only believes in God but gives religion an honored place alongside science in his life. This book offers an engaging look at how--and why--scientists and those with technological leanings can hold profound, "unprovable" religious beliefs while working in highly empirical fields. Through his own experience and interviews with other scientists and engineers who profess faith, Brother Guy explores how religious beliefs and practices make sense to those who are deeply rooted in the world of technology., Praise for God's Mechanics "Brother Guy Consolmagno speaks in the softest, sanest voice imaginable as he enters the current firestorm of opinion re science and religion. His engaging commentary exposes the mindset of a true 'techie' but one who equates science with a sacred act." Dava Sobel, author, Galileo's Daughter "A prominent Vatican astronomer takes up the problem of presenting the Christian faith to his fellow 'techies.' After analyzing their scientific modes of thinking, Consolmagno proposes ways of speaking to their mentality. His fresh approach opens up new paths for evangelization and dialogue." Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, Fordham University "My grasp of technology doesn't much go beyond the chipmunks on treadmills that generate the electrical power for my computer. Put those chipmunks inside my brain, and you've got an idea how much I understand about religion. Which is why I found [this] book so amazing. Brother Guy has a knack for taking extremely complex concepts and explaining them in ways even a technological and religious rustic like me can understand. He's smart, patient, thorough, and very funny. I only wish Brother Guy had been my science professor and my Sunday school teacher. I'd have a lot fewer chipmunks running around in my office and in my head." Gary K. Wolf, creator of Roger Rabbit "Brother Guy Consolmagno's book explores the origins and nature of religion in novel and interesting ways, especially for a Catholic writer. His insights and thought processes honestly accept and answer many religious questions relating to scientists, engineers, and contemporary society as a whole. He is deeply candid, sharing his own faith and revealing his true love for the Catholic Church." Archbishop John J. Myers, Newark, New Jersey "Brother Guy is someone whose faith is mysterious to me. I'm an atheist, I think that God is a mental state we achieve by tickling our brains, not a creator who intervenes in the universe. Brother Guy's book is an important step in bridging the gap between we the irreligious and antireligious techworld and the faithful among the geeks." Cory Doctorow, author, Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present and coeditor of Boing Boing (boingboing.net), At a crossroads in creative thought, one that has left a gap between science and religion, people are now faced with how to bridge the divide between these two ways of thinking and being. This book is a firsthand account of personal religious faith as it relates to life as a scientist or engineer, what Brother Guy Consolmagno calls "Techies., In God's Mechanics, Brother Guy tells the stories of those who identify with the scientific mindset socalled "techies" while practicing religion. A full fledged techie himself, he relates some classic philosophical reflections, his interviews with dozens of fellow techies, and his own personal take on his Catholic beliefs to provide, like a set of "worked out sample problems," the hard data on the challenges and joys of embracing a life of faith as a techie. And he also gives a roadmap of the traps that can befall an unwary techie believer. With lively prose and wry humor, Brother Guy shows how he not only believes in God but gives religion an honored place alongside science in his life. This book offers an engaging look at how and why scientists and those with technological leanings can hold profound, "unprovable" religious beliefs while working in highly empirical fields. Through his own experience and interviews with other scientists and engineers who profess faith, Brother Guy explores how religious beliefs and practices make sense to those who are deeply rooted in the world of technology.

LC Classification NumberBL240.3.C68 2007