Thecentralcontentionofthe“NewAtheism“ofRichardDawkins,DanielDennett,SamHarris,andChristopherHitchensisthattherehasforseveralcenturiesbeenawarbetweenscienceandreligion,thatreligionhasbeensteadilylosingthatwar,andthatatthispointinhumanhistoryacompletelysecularscientificaccountoftheworldhasbeenworkedoutinsuchthoroughandconvincingdetailthatthereisnolongeranyreasonwhyarationalandeducatedpersonshouldfindtheclaimsofanyreligiontheleastbitworthyofattention.ButasEdwardFeserarguesinTheLastSuperstition,infactthereisnot,andneverhasbeen,anywarbetweenscienceandreligionatall.Therehasinsteadbeenaconflictbetweentwoentirelyphilosophicalconceptionsofthenaturalorder:ontheonehand,theclassical“teleological“visionofPlato,Aristotle,Augustine,andAquinas,onwhichpurposeorgoal-directednessisasinherentafeatureofthephysicalworldasmassorelectriccharge;andthemodern“mechanical“visionofDescartes,Hobbes,Locke,andHume,accordingtowhichthephysicalworldiscomprisedofnothingmorethanpurposeless,meaninglessparticlesinmotion.Asithappens,ontheclassicalteleologicalpicture,theexistenceofGod,theimmortalityofthesoul,andthenatural-lawconceptionofmoralityarerationallyunavoidable.Modernatheismandsecularismhavethusalwayscruciallydependedfortheirrationalcredentialsontheinsinuationthatthemodern,mechanicalpictureoftheworldhassomehowbeenestablishedbyscience.Yetthismodern“mechanical“picturehasneverbeenestablishedbyscience,andcannotbe,foritisnotascientifictheoryinthefirstplacebutmerelyaphilosophicalinterpretationofscience.Moreover,asFesershows,thephilosophicalargumentsinitsfavorgivenbytheearlymodernphilosopherswerenotableonlyforbeingsurprisinglyweak.Thetruereasonsforitspopularitywerethen,andarenow,primarilypolitical:Itwasatoolbywhichtheintellectualfoundationsofecclesiasticalauthoritycouldbeunderminedandthewayopenedtowardanewsecularandliberalsocialorderorientedtowardcommerceandtechnology.Soastofurtherthesepoliticalends,itwassimplystipulated,byfiatasitwere,thatnotheoryinconsistentwiththemechanicalpictureoftheworldwouldbeallowedtocountas“scientific.“Asthecenturieshavewornonandhistoricalmemoryhasdimmed,thisactofdogmaticstipulationhasfalselycometoberememberedasa“discovery.“However,notonlyisthismodernphilosophicalpicturerationallyunfounded,itisdemonstrablyfalse.Forthe“mechanical“conceptionofthenaturalworld,whenworkedoutconsistently,absurdlyentailsthatrationality,andindeedthehumanminditself,areillusory.Theso-called“scientificworldview“championedbytheNewAtheiststhusinevitablyunderminesitsownrationalfoundations;andintothebargain(andcontrarytothemoralisticposturingoftheNewAtheists)itunderminesthefoundationsofanypossiblemoralityaswell.Bycontrast,andasTheLastSuperstitiondemonstrates,theclassicalteleologicalpictureofnaturecanbeseentofindpowerfulconfirmationindevelopmentsfromcontemporaryphilosophy,biology,andphysics;moreover,moralityandreasonitselfcannotpossiblybemadesenseofapartfromit.Theteleologicalvisionoftheancientsandmedievalsistherebyrationallyvindicated-andwithitthereligiousworldviewtheybaseduponit.
