Discuss deism and how it formed a bridge of faith between religion and science in this age
What will be an ideal response?
As the scientific revolution unfolded, reason and religion formed an adversarial position. However one of these new philosophers, Descartes, reasoned a way to conclude the existence of God without empirical confirmation. He held that since something cannot proceed from nothing, argued Descartes, the idea of God held by human beings must come from God. Moreover, the idea of Perfection (God) embraces the idea of existence, for, if something is perfect, it must exist. He associated God with "the mathematical order of nature," an approach that bridged the gap between religion and science. This belief is known as deism, a "natural" religion based on human reason rather than revelation. Deists purged religion of superstition, myth, and ritual. They viewed God as a master mechanic who had created the universe, then stepped aside and allowed his world-machine to run unattended.
Descartes did not envision any conflict between science and religion. He optimistically concluded that "all our ideas or notions contain in them some truth; for otherwise it could not be that God, who is wholly perfect and veracious, should have placed them in us." Like other deists of his time, Descartes held that to follow reason was to follow God.
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