Rocks Of Ages [Paperback]

If you've read any of the clutter of recent books on evolutionary science or popular atheism, you'll know that Stephen Jay Gould - and particularly this book, Rocks of Ages comes with something of a health warning: Gould, despite great eminence and magisterial publishing history, is seen by a certain clique of like-minded authors within the biological community as being damaged goods and this attempt at popular philosophy, with its central thesis of "Non-Overlapping Magisteria" ("NOMA") - an attempt at peaceful mediation between science and religion - is given short shrift by such authors, and elsewhere tends to be put down to Gould's compromised situation when he wrote it (terminally ill with cancer). Since his death a few years ago, Rocks of Ages has lost an able champion and as a result looks set to disappear quietly beneath the waves of the current, squally debate.

Which is a pity. While I didn't find Gould's particular formulation entirely convincing, his starting point: that it would be a great shame if neither of the two greatest intellectual traditions on the planet could rest without destroying the other, seems to me to be thoroughly pragmatic and worthwhile, since each has an awful lot of merit and utlity if only they could agree a means of peacable separation.

The likes of Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens, of course, will have none of that, and while the great majority of the liberal religious happily would, this only furthers the militant atheists' conclusion that they are therefore right, and the god-botherers must be crushed. Very childish indeed, if you ask me. For the record, I'm not religious myself: just more pleasantly disposed to religious people than some of my atheist confreres.

All the same, I'm not persuaded by NOMA, because, like all the participants in that pointless debate, Gould believes he can hold onto transcendental truth, and is therefore hoist by the same petard: using NOMA simply as a means of deciding which truth is the province of which discipline is as forlorn as the forensic search for any kind of transcendental truth, and worthy of the same criticisms that Rorty, Kuhn, Wittgenstein and others make of that idea.

But enough of what I think. NOMA is, at least, a good try and along the way Gould has written an elegantly phrased, beautifully learned, contemplative, reflective book and made some very pithy observations, that Richard Dawkins might have done well to note.

In particular, the observation that hardly any of the modern religions take young-earth creationism literally. Once it is seen as metaphorical (and this may be heresy in the deep south, but it's been taken as read in all of the churches I've ever been to), the atheistic thrust of Darwin's Dangerous Idea (a wonderful book in other respects) comes to nought. Gould notes that it can only be taken figuratively, if for no other reason than that it makes no sense whatsoever otherwise: the literal text refers to the making of the sun on the fourth "day" - but it's difficult to see how days 1-3 could have been measured! Additionally, pretty much the only place where religion strays more than nonchalantly into the scientific magisterium (certainly the only one you'll find Dawkins obsessing about, since it is his chosen field) is in the creation myth, which as far as I know is over and done with in about ten pages, which leaves much of the balance of the Good Book unscathed.

Erudition of Gould's sort (absent without official leave in the The God Delusion) lives on every page, and the book is worth its value for these alone. The myth of the flat earthers is similarly surprising: read it and see.

Lastly, I found Gould's book valuable because it faces up to and accomodates what, for fundamentalists (of either stripe) is a rather uncomfortable fact: there are millions, if not billions, of thoughtful, well educated, scientifically literate, liberal people who are able to hold to religious devotion and scientific practice contemporaneously, without unease or mental torment. Dawkin's best guess is that these people are systematically deluded: hardly a useful or scientific approach, you would think. Gould's more mature reaction is to say: these are the facts: science has not supplanted religion; these ideas can co-exist in our heads; now how can we reconcile that.

There are better explanations, I believe, of the particulars, but Gould's book is a worthwhile and charming entry all the same.

Olly Buxton

Gould's "Rocks of Ages" explores the long-standing and misunderstood conflict between science and religion and offers "... a blessedly simple and entirely conventional resolution to this apparent conflict." As he correctly points out, his basic thesis "... follows a strong consensus accepted for decades by leading scientific and religious leaders alike." Stated simply, the contributions of science (rock-hard facts and knowledge) and the contribution of religion (the "Rock of Ages" spiritual and mystical contributions to life) are both important to a fulfilled life. Nontheless, they clearly occupy different domains of inquiry which should not overlap, Gould therefore proposes to "... encapsulate this central principle of respectful noninterference ... by enunciating the Principle of NOMA, or Non-Overlapping Magisteria." He chooses the "four-bit" word "magisterium" as it represents for him "...a domain of authority in teaching." that practioners of science and religion should acknowledge and respect. If all that Gould did was to revisit the unique contributions of science and religion, the book would be only mildly interesting. What makes it worthwhile reading is Gould's historical research. Here he comes across as a fine scholar. For example, his detailed discussions of Darwin and the imapct of the "Origin of Species", the conflict between Galileo and the Catholic Church and the Scopes Trial are both enlightening and fascinating. Throughout the book he quotes extensively from historical records which add to reading enjoyment. As part of his criticism of the overlapping of science and religion, Gould cannot resist dwelling at length on the legal conflicts that have raged over the teaching of evolution and the current political agenda of the "Creation Science" movement. He makes it clear that there are those who still wish to keep alive the supposed warfare between science and religion with no peaceful resolution in sight. In summary, is the book profound? No. Is it worth reading?Yes. Gould is a talented essayist and, once again, this talent shows through in his book.

This is my first Gould book and must say that I wasn't terribly impressed. Plenty of history, but nothing more than simple comparisons and analysis. He seemed to use plenty of fancy sounding words in a rather dull argument.

It's a quick read as well, yet further indication that it's superficial (no aha's or points to ponder in more detail). If you're looking for something light, though, it's not a bad choice.