What Faith does for Science

Are prayer and scientific research completely different activities? They both involve respect for tradition, an open mind and a commitment to the truth. Furthermore, science makes use of the human capacities for imagination (hypothesis), play (experiment) and appreciating beauty. This suggests science relies on a spiritual – or subjective – element which is not susceptible to its own forms of analysis. The primacy of subjective aspects of human psychology which religion celebrates for the discovery of objective scientific truths suggests that science subsists on faith rather than subverting it.

Revd Dr Robert Gilbert is a Senior Departmental Research Fellow in the Nuffield Department on Medicine. His research focuses on structural and biophysical methods applied to biomedically-important cellular processes.

Upstairs, in the function room, at the Mitre. 7:30pm with drinks and nibbles served from 7pm.