Between science and religion: the engagement of Catholic intellectuals with science and technology in the twentieth century

This book explores the Catholic Church's engagement with science and technology in the twentieth century by focusing on the important role of four prominent Catholic intellectuals representing the diverse intellectual currents of their generation. The book unpacks both the challenges and rewards of pursuing such efforts between the Modernist crisis and the Second Vatican Council. This study of these intellectuals suggests how the Church moved from conflict to dialogue in its relationship with science and technology

Introduction -- The transformation -- Charting a course -- The legacy of modernist crisis -- The threat of modernism -- The crisis within the church -- The legacy of modernism -- Jacques Maritain's search for wisdom (1882-1973) -- A relentless quest -- The destruction of the medieval synthesis -- A philosophy of nature -- Science and society -- A postscript on evolution -- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) and the operation of the divine in the universe -- The quest for the absolute -- The mature vision -- Cultural challenges -- The problem of being between religion and science -- Bernard Lonergan's (1904-1984) cognitive project -- Intellectual formation -- The role of Aquinas -- An integrated vision -- A critique of science and technology -- Thomas Merton's (1915-1968) contemplative critique -- How to understand Merton -- Technology invades the cloister -- A prophetic assessment of the techno-scientific culture -- Balance and the future of humanity -- The transformative century -- Boundary testing -- The winding path -- Progeny -- The path of critical openness -- Guideposts for the journey -- Concluding reflections