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The Chief Rabbi sets out a clear and forceful argument for the complementary nature of science and religion, drawing on an eclectic range of historical and philosophical arguments to prove the necessity of both if we are to understand the human condition. Writing with his usual grace and fluency, Sacks moves beyond the arguments of militant atheists to explore how religion has always played a valuable part in human culture.
Synopsis
Jonathan Sacks sets out a clear and forceful argument for the complementary nature of science and religion, drawing on an eclectic range of historical and philosophical arguments to prove the necessity of both if we are to understand the human condition.
Book Details
Publisher:
HODDER CHRISTIAN BOOKS
Publication Date:
21-Jun-2012
ISBN:
9780340995259
Observer review
Jonathan Sacks: The Great Partnership: God, Science and the Search for Meaning review
Richard Holloway the observer Sat 09 June 2012
In addition to offering many interesting angles and intriguing asides on the state of today's world, in his erudite and eloquent book the chief rabbi makes a large claim. It's a claim you have probably thought about most people do, at some time or other so you may already have made your mind up about the question he here sets out to answer. But before I look at the big issue he tackles in this book, let me say something about the man himself.
What makes Jonathan Sacks such an attractive combatant in today's wars of religion is the passion with which he engages in the conflict. Although he is always courteous in his contributions to the debate, there is no doubt that he believes much more is at stake than how we divide on some old philosophical questions. For him, the fate of civilisation depends on how we answer the God question. He remarks that while "individuals can live without meaning, societies in the long run cannot" and only God, he claims, can supply the meaning we need.
His logic goes like this: quoting Wittgenstein, who said that the sense of the world must lie outside the world, he claims that since the meaning of a system has to lie outside the system, "the meaning of the universe lies outside the universe". The universe cannot mean itself, only that which lies outside it and brought it into being can mean it.
That is as far as argument can take us, however, and it is an awkward place to arrive at. What happens next depends on us, and there are three possible moves. Atheists bite the bullet and say the universe means nothing it just is though we can give our own lives meaning by the choices we make. Theists find it impossible to accept that the universe means nothing, so they will themselves to believe in a God who alone can supply the meaning they crave. And then there are those who think there is definitely something odd about the universe but they can't quite bring themselves to jump confidently into either of the solutions proffered.
The compelling thing about Sacks is the passion with which he insists that only God can save us from the tragedy of nothingness. His argument may not persuade, but his passion almost does.
