Claim 2 of 13 · Case 08 · Science
The idea that science and religion have always been at war was popularized by two writers in the late 1800s and has since been set aside by most historians of science.
One claim from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
The picture of faith and science locked in permanent combat feels ancient, but as a historical thesis it is recent and traceable. It was spread mainly by two books in the late nineteenth century. Historians of science today generally reject the “always at war” framing as a distortion. This is a claim about the history of an idea, and it is well documented. Note that “set aside” means the framing is no longer taken seriously as a general model, not that no conflicts ever happened.
Backed by 3 pieces of evidence
John William Draper, “History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science” (1874)
This is one of the two original sources of the warfare story. Pointing to where the idea actually came from is what shows it is a recent invention, not a description of two thousand years of history.Andrew Dickson White, “A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom” (1896)
This is the second founding source of the conflict thesis. Two books, both with an agenda, did most of the work of convincing the public that faith and science are natural enemies.Modern historians of science on the conflict thesis
It is one thing for apologists to dislike the warfare story. It is far stronger to show that the professional field that studies this history has abandoned it. That is what makes the claim credible to a skeptic.