From Publishers Weekly From the title, this appears to be an invitation to integrate knowledge with faith. Ruse, a professor at Florida State Univ. is a skeptic who believes that the "central core claims of Christianity by their very nature go beyond the reach of science." He takes the reader through a thorough labyrinth of philosophers from Plato, John Henry Newman, and Reinhold Niebuhr in an attempt to show humans as a product of the environment. The world is a machine and Ruse, an expert on Darwinian evolution, sees humans as machines who learn to adapt through evolution and experiences. Where science and spirituality share common bonds is in human morality. Ruse's view of Christianity makes it easy to dismiss miracles, life after death, mysteries of faith and even the theory of the soul by using science. He makes room for spirituality but is dismissive of faith. With its long block quotations and diagrams, this book is more suited for the college classroom than a general reader. Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review "...Ruse, a professor at Florida State Univ. is a skeptic who believes that the "central core claims [of Christianity] by their very nature go beyond the reach of science." He takes the reader through a thorough labyrinth of philosophers from Plato, John Henry Newman, and Reinhold Niebuhr in an attempt to show humans as a product of the environment..." --Publishers Weekly

"Ruse's book is one that tries to examine the issue from several points of view, from the matters that can be explained by science to those that cannot... Ruse does a good job of striking what feels like a proper balance that leaves the reader to come to his own conclusion." --Ryan Reynolds, Courier Press

"...The value and pleasure of Science and Spirituality for the lay reader is in embarking upon a fast--moving journey from the Ancient Greeks to the present while wrestling with our metaphysical Godzilla, to choose a name that invokes both divinity and the primitive lizard brain that continues to issue so many of our marching orders... Ruse offers an accessible distillation of the most pertinent great western thinkers and their great thoughts..." Salem Alaton, Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber, Literary Review of Canada

"...The first half of this book is an episodic survey of the role of various metaphors (mechanism, organism) in the history of science through the 20th century. Readers familiar with this story--or comfortable with the idea of "metaphor" in science--can profitably start with the second half and capture the full thrust of the argument... this book does extend Ruse's argument and bring it up to date... Recommended..." C. D. Kay, Wofford College, CHOICE

"...lays a broad foundation for understanding the debate between science and religion.... Those investigating philosophies regarding morals, conscience or purpose of life will benefit from information [he] provides.... Ruse does impressive work presenting others' beliefs, information and discoveries with little personal bias.... a good overview of the evolution of scientists' philosophies...." Van Sprague, West Virginia School of Preaching, Christian Chronicle

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Science and Spirituality: Making Room for Faith in the Age of ...