Christianity: A Cause of Modern Science

24Galileo, Hooke, Kepler, Torricelli, Boyle, Newton, and others, Europe's sciencetook a vast qualitative leap, but we should not overlook its origins and thesemen's predecessors in the Middle Ages.THE MERTON THESIS STATEDNow Merton's thesis does not claim as much for Christianity as the Duhem-Jakithesis does, for the former merely sees seventeenth century Puritan ethicalvalues as being conducive to engaging in scientific endeavors. One partial criticof Merton's thesis pointed out how some values of Puritanism opposed scienceeven as some promoted it:If seventeenth-century science grew in harmony with Puritan values of utility,reason, empiricism, and the glory of God, it also grew by distancing its activitiesand goal from other values or sentiments displayed by Puritanism: intolerance,dogmatism, enthusiasm.Also, since Merton is a sociologist, he is approaching science through itsrelationship to the rest of society, which is an externalist approach, instead oflooking at science from inside its own history.Merton lists various values that helped promote science among PuritanEnglishmen in the seventeenth century. One is to glorify God and serve Himthrough doing activities of utility to the community as a whole, as opposed to thecontemplative, monastic ideal of withdrawal from the community. Through "thedrive for the conviction of one's election, . . . the Calvinistic doctrine ofpredestination escapes any drift toward an apathetic pessimism." Throughemphasizing a vocation (again, something useful to the community as a whole)this created diligence, industry, and hard work in Puritans. As the Quaker leaderBaxter put it: "No: no man should do so without a special necessity or call: forthere are general precepts on all that are able, that we live to the benefit ofothers, and prefer the common good, and as we have opportunity do good to allmen." The result is the individual chooses the vocation that is best suited for hisabilities. Reason and education were both praised, the latter needing to bepractical in nature, not highly literary in content, and definitely not consisting in