Jitse M van der Meer (original) (raw)
Papers by Jitse M van der Meer
JAHH, Jun 1, 2002
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Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith
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Church History and Religious Culture, 2011
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The notion that not only facts but also personal and communal beliefs contribute to scientific kn... more The notion that not only facts but also personal and communal beliefs contribute to scientific knowledge has become commonplace. It raises two important questions. How can people with very different belief systems work together in science? Can scientific knowledge be trusted if it is shaped and sometimes distorted by beliefs operating in the background of science? I begin by pointing out that scholars who believe in the existence of a mind-independent reality have the moral calling to oppose distortion in their understanding of natural phenomena. I then explain why background beliefs are required for the construction of theories in science. I argue that background beliefs do not necessarily distort scientific knowledge because God created an objectively existing reality that resists distortion. When distortion occurs, science has standard ways of detecting that distortion. These include convergence of mutually independent lines of evidence on the same explanation, the possibility to...
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BRILL eBooks, 2008
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Whatever the natural sciences can really demonstrate to be true of physical nature, we must show ... more Whatever the natural sciences can really demonstrate to be true of physical nature, we must show to be capable of reconciliation with our Scriptures; and whatever they assert in their treatises which is contrary to these Scriptures of ours, that is to Catholic faith, we must either prove it as well as we can to be entirely false, or at all events we must, without the smallest hesitation, believe it to be so. Augustine, De Genesi ad litteram, I.21.41
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The Cambridge Companion to Genesis
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The genetic regulation of anterior-posterior segment pattern development has been elucidated in d... more The genetic regulation of anterior-posterior segment pattern development has been elucidated in detail for Drosophila, but it is not canonical for insects. A surprising diversity of regulatory mechanisms is being uncovered not only between insect Orders, but also within the Order of the Diptera. This raises the question whether the same diversity of regulatory mechanisms exists within other insect Orders. This paper draws attention to the promise of the pea beetle Callosobruchus maculatus for elucidating the evolution of pattern regulation mechanisms in Coleoptera and other insect Orders. Introduction of RNase in eggs of Callosobruchus replaces anterior segments with posterior segments oriented in mirror image symmetry to the original posterior segments (double abdomens). Reversal is specific for RNase activity, for treatment of the anterior egg pole and for cytoplasmic RNA. Yield depends on developmental stage, enzyme concentration and temperature. A maximum of 30% of treated eggs ...
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Wilhelm Roux's Archives of Developmental Biology, 1984
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Filozoficzne Aspekty Genezy, 2021
Powszechny stał się pogląd, że nie tylko fakty, ale i osobiste oraz wspólne przekonania stanowią ... more Powszechny stał się pogląd, że nie tylko fakty, ale i osobiste oraz wspólne przekonania stanowią element wiedzy naukowej. Rodzi to dwa ważne pytania. Jak ludzie mający bardzo odmienne systemy przekonań mogą wspólnie uprawiać naukę? Czy wiedzy naukowej można ufać, skoro jest kształtowana i niekiedy zniekształcana przez przekonania funkcjonujące na zapleczu nauki? Zacznę od wskazania, że uczeni, którzy wierzą w istnienie rzeczywistości niezależnej od umysłu, mają moralny obowiązek przeciwstawiania się zniekształcaniu ich wiedzy o zjawiskach przyrodniczych. Następnie wyjaśniam, dlaczego przekonania towarzyszące są konieczne do formułowania teorii w nauce. Argumentuję, że przekonania towarzyszące niekoniecznie zniekształcają wiedzę naukową, ponieważ Bóg stworzył obiektywnie istniejącą rzeczywistość, która opiera się zniekształceniu. Gdy dochodzi do zniekształceń, nauka dysponuje standardowymi sposobami ich wykrywania. Sposoby te to między innymi zbieżność wzajemnie niezależnych linii da...
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Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 1999
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Osiris, 2001
It is a widely shared assumption that science and religion are fundamentally opposed to each othe... more It is a widely shared assumption that science and religion are fundamentally opposed to each other. Yet, recent historiography has shown that religious belief needs to be added to the social, economic, political, and other cultural factors that went into the making of modern science. This new collection shows religious ideas not only motivated scientific effort but also shaped the actual content of major scientific theories. The fourteen studies contained in this volume concentrate on such topics as the theological facets of modern astronomy in the works of Galileo, Kepler, and Newton; the retention of teleology in the natural philosophy of Boyle; and the theistic and teleological associations of the modern theory of evolution authored by Darwin and Wallace. While the majority of the contributions focus on the Christian traditions, the collection also contains case-studies of Judaic and Islamic influences. Reflecting the fecundity of contemporary scholarship, the current volume shou...
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The Christian doctrine of creation entails among other things that order characterizes the cosmos... more The Christian doctrine of creation entails among other things that order characterizes the cosmos and that the Creator is not subject to this order. In that sense lawful order marks the boundary between Creator and creation. Herman Dooyeweerd generalizes the idea of law as boundary to develop an ontology of created kinds of order. Boundaries demarcate distinct ways in which phenomena operate, limiting causal interactions between them. For instance, physical things cannot produce living things, prohibiting evolutionary emergence. This was in line with the speculative nature of evolutionary thought in the early twentieth century, but not today. To accommodate evolutionary emergence I propose revisions in Dooyeweerd’s ideas of law, causation, and time. I replace his idea of law as a given static boundary with a model for the evolution of boundaries. This allows for causal continuity and discontinuity between phenomena with different kinds of order—a conundrum in emergence theory. Theor...
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This second volume of Facets of Faith and Science focuses on the effects religious and metaphysic... more This second volume of Facets of Faith and Science focuses on the effects religious and metaphysical beliefs have on the content of the specific roles of metaphysical and religious beliefs in explanation and theory construction in biology, mathematics and physics. Co-published with The Pascal Centre for Advanced Studies in Faith and Science.
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Filozoficzne Aspekty Genezy
W obawie, że zmiany w naukowym rozumieniu przyrody wymuszą zmiany w przekonaniach religijnych, wi... more W obawie, że zmiany w naukowym rozumieniu przyrody wymuszą zmiany w przekonaniach religijnych, wielu chrześcijan utrzymuje religię i naukę w separacji. Chcąc złagodzić tę obawę, wykluczają istnienie oddziaływania między tymi dziedzinami, redukując jego złożoność. Naukę oraz religię sprowadza się na przykład do odrębnych dziedzin wiedzy, w których obowiązują ich własne, swoiste twierdzenia. Religię rozumie się jako pozalogiczny sposób funkcjonowania człowieka zwany wiarą, charakteryzujący się emocjonalnym spojrzeniem na świat. Jeśli zastosuje się teorię typów logicznych do religii i nauki, relacje logiczne mogą zachodzić wyłącznie pomiędzy logicznymi dziedzinami wiedzy. Dlatego między religią a nauką nie mogą zachodzić żadne relacje logiczne, jeśli tę pierwszą rozumie się jako pozalogiczny sposób funkcjonowania człowieka zwany wiarą, drugą zaś - jako logiczny sposób funkcjonowania. Niemniej udało się zidentyfikować przynajmniej jedną relację logiczną między religią a nauką, a wywiera...
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JAHH, Jun 1, 2002
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith
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Church History and Religious Culture, 2011
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
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The notion that not only facts but also personal and communal beliefs contribute to scientific kn... more The notion that not only facts but also personal and communal beliefs contribute to scientific knowledge has become commonplace. It raises two important questions. How can people with very different belief systems work together in science? Can scientific knowledge be trusted if it is shaped and sometimes distorted by beliefs operating in the background of science? I begin by pointing out that scholars who believe in the existence of a mind-independent reality have the moral calling to oppose distortion in their understanding of natural phenomena. I then explain why background beliefs are required for the construction of theories in science. I argue that background beliefs do not necessarily distort scientific knowledge because God created an objectively existing reality that resists distortion. When distortion occurs, science has standard ways of detecting that distortion. These include convergence of mutually independent lines of evidence on the same explanation, the possibility to...
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BRILL eBooks, 2008
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Whatever the natural sciences can really demonstrate to be true of physical nature, we must show ... more Whatever the natural sciences can really demonstrate to be true of physical nature, we must show to be capable of reconciliation with our Scriptures; and whatever they assert in their treatises which is contrary to these Scriptures of ours, that is to Catholic faith, we must either prove it as well as we can to be entirely false, or at all events we must, without the smallest hesitation, believe it to be so. Augustine, De Genesi ad litteram, I.21.41
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The Cambridge Companion to Genesis
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The genetic regulation of anterior-posterior segment pattern development has been elucidated in d... more The genetic regulation of anterior-posterior segment pattern development has been elucidated in detail for Drosophila, but it is not canonical for insects. A surprising diversity of regulatory mechanisms is being uncovered not only between insect Orders, but also within the Order of the Diptera. This raises the question whether the same diversity of regulatory mechanisms exists within other insect Orders. This paper draws attention to the promise of the pea beetle Callosobruchus maculatus for elucidating the evolution of pattern regulation mechanisms in Coleoptera and other insect Orders. Introduction of RNase in eggs of Callosobruchus replaces anterior segments with posterior segments oriented in mirror image symmetry to the original posterior segments (double abdomens). Reversal is specific for RNase activity, for treatment of the anterior egg pole and for cytoplasmic RNA. Yield depends on developmental stage, enzyme concentration and temperature. A maximum of 30% of treated eggs ...
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Wilhelm Roux's Archives of Developmental Biology, 1984
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Filozoficzne Aspekty Genezy, 2021
Powszechny stał się pogląd, że nie tylko fakty, ale i osobiste oraz wspólne przekonania stanowią ... more Powszechny stał się pogląd, że nie tylko fakty, ale i osobiste oraz wspólne przekonania stanowią element wiedzy naukowej. Rodzi to dwa ważne pytania. Jak ludzie mający bardzo odmienne systemy przekonań mogą wspólnie uprawiać naukę? Czy wiedzy naukowej można ufać, skoro jest kształtowana i niekiedy zniekształcana przez przekonania funkcjonujące na zapleczu nauki? Zacznę od wskazania, że uczeni, którzy wierzą w istnienie rzeczywistości niezależnej od umysłu, mają moralny obowiązek przeciwstawiania się zniekształcaniu ich wiedzy o zjawiskach przyrodniczych. Następnie wyjaśniam, dlaczego przekonania towarzyszące są konieczne do formułowania teorii w nauce. Argumentuję, że przekonania towarzyszące niekoniecznie zniekształcają wiedzę naukową, ponieważ Bóg stworzył obiektywnie istniejącą rzeczywistość, która opiera się zniekształceniu. Gdy dochodzi do zniekształceń, nauka dysponuje standardowymi sposobami ich wykrywania. Sposoby te to między innymi zbieżność wzajemnie niezależnych linii da...
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Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 1999
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Osiris, 2001
It is a widely shared assumption that science and religion are fundamentally opposed to each othe... more It is a widely shared assumption that science and religion are fundamentally opposed to each other. Yet, recent historiography has shown that religious belief needs to be added to the social, economic, political, and other cultural factors that went into the making of modern science. This new collection shows religious ideas not only motivated scientific effort but also shaped the actual content of major scientific theories. The fourteen studies contained in this volume concentrate on such topics as the theological facets of modern astronomy in the works of Galileo, Kepler, and Newton; the retention of teleology in the natural philosophy of Boyle; and the theistic and teleological associations of the modern theory of evolution authored by Darwin and Wallace. While the majority of the contributions focus on the Christian traditions, the collection also contains case-studies of Judaic and Islamic influences. Reflecting the fecundity of contemporary scholarship, the current volume shou...
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The Christian doctrine of creation entails among other things that order characterizes the cosmos... more The Christian doctrine of creation entails among other things that order characterizes the cosmos and that the Creator is not subject to this order. In that sense lawful order marks the boundary between Creator and creation. Herman Dooyeweerd generalizes the idea of law as boundary to develop an ontology of created kinds of order. Boundaries demarcate distinct ways in which phenomena operate, limiting causal interactions between them. For instance, physical things cannot produce living things, prohibiting evolutionary emergence. This was in line with the speculative nature of evolutionary thought in the early twentieth century, but not today. To accommodate evolutionary emergence I propose revisions in Dooyeweerd’s ideas of law, causation, and time. I replace his idea of law as a given static boundary with a model for the evolution of boundaries. This allows for causal continuity and discontinuity between phenomena with different kinds of order—a conundrum in emergence theory. Theor...
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This second volume of Facets of Faith and Science focuses on the effects religious and metaphysic... more This second volume of Facets of Faith and Science focuses on the effects religious and metaphysical beliefs have on the content of the specific roles of metaphysical and religious beliefs in explanation and theory construction in biology, mathematics and physics. Co-published with The Pascal Centre for Advanced Studies in Faith and Science.
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Filozoficzne Aspekty Genezy
W obawie, że zmiany w naukowym rozumieniu przyrody wymuszą zmiany w przekonaniach religijnych, wi... more W obawie, że zmiany w naukowym rozumieniu przyrody wymuszą zmiany w przekonaniach religijnych, wielu chrześcijan utrzymuje religię i naukę w separacji. Chcąc złagodzić tę obawę, wykluczają istnienie oddziaływania między tymi dziedzinami, redukując jego złożoność. Naukę oraz religię sprowadza się na przykład do odrębnych dziedzin wiedzy, w których obowiązują ich własne, swoiste twierdzenia. Religię rozumie się jako pozalogiczny sposób funkcjonowania człowieka zwany wiarą, charakteryzujący się emocjonalnym spojrzeniem na świat. Jeśli zastosuje się teorię typów logicznych do religii i nauki, relacje logiczne mogą zachodzić wyłącznie pomiędzy logicznymi dziedzinami wiedzy. Dlatego między religią a nauką nie mogą zachodzić żadne relacje logiczne, jeśli tę pierwszą rozumie się jako pozalogiczny sposób funkcjonowania człowieka zwany wiarą, drugą zaś - jako logiczny sposób funkcjonowania. Niemniej udało się zidentyfikować przynajmniej jedną relację logiczną między religią a nauką, a wywiera...
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Evolutionary Biology - New Perspectives on its Development, Vol. 3, Richard G. Delisle (Ed): Natural Selection. Springer Verlag, Chapter 11, 2021
Throughout his career, Dobzhansky (1900-1975) doubted whether natural selection could explain evo... more Throughout his career, Dobzhansky (1900-1975) doubted whether natural selection could explain evolution. My first thesis is that his doubt was qualified and declined during his life, but never disappeared. I offer five reasons for his hesitation. First, evolution was possible without natural selection. He included drift, cooperation, and polyploidy with natural selection as causes of evolution. During his career, he gained confidence in natural selection but kept an open mind about other causes of evolution. Second, the selective neutrality of alleles required for drift was not established, and this affected the assessment of selection. Third, Dobzhansky wanted a causal account of evolution. But initially no causal connection between short-term natural selection and adaptation and long-term speciation could be established by experiment. Later, empirical support for a role of natural selection in evolution became available, but was insufficient. Fourth, it was unlikely that the timing of reproductive isolation would make adaptive evolution possible. Fifth, the selection-balance controversy exposed a variety of additional reasons for doubts about the role of selection. This skepticism about the role of selection in evolution makes Dobzhansky an unlikely participant in the so-called hardening of the synthetic theory of evolution. My second thesis is that Dobzhansky interpreted natural selection as natural evil and that this interpretation can be explained in the context of his religion. 1✉ 1 e.Proofing | Springer
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In the pea beetle egg (Callosobruchus maculatus), segment sequence can be reversed in the posteri... more In the pea beetle egg (Callosobruchus maculatus), segment sequence can be reversed in the posterior half of the egg by temporary constriction in the anterior half (van der Meer 1984). This replaces anterior segments with posterior segments oriented in mirror image symmetry to the original posterior segments (double abdomens). It was suggested that RNase leaking from the decaying anterior egg fragment into the posterior one induced the reversal because in the dipteran Smittia introduction of RNase in the anterior pole caused segment sequence reversal. Here, this hypothesis is confirmed by introducing RNase in eggs of Callosobruchus at various locations and stages. The reversal is specific for RNase activity, for treatment of the anterior egg pole and for cytoplasmic mRNA. Yield depends on developmental stage, enzyme concentration and temperature. A maximum yield of 30% of treated eggs developed double abdomens after puncture in 10.0 μg/ml RNase S reconstituted from S-protein and S-peptide at 30 degrees Celsius. This result sets the stage for an analysis of the genetic regulation of segment pattern formation in the long germ embryo of Callosobruchus and for comparison with the short germ embryo of the Coleopteran Tribolium.
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Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, 2020
"This is a book for Christians who want to make up their mind on evolutionary theory, as well as ... more "This is a book for Christians who want to make up their mind on evolutionary theory, as well as for non-Christians who consider the faith but are convinced of evolution." (1) Six major challenges to Christian theology are discussed with excursions into Reformed theology when appropriate. The verdict is that they can be met in ways true to the Gospel. There have been a few books dealing with this question from the perspective of a particular theological tradition. This is the first one that does so for Reformed theology. The book is well organized, the arguments are clear and accessible to the general reader. It is very well informed and nuanced in its discussion of systematic-theological issues that might be affected by evolutionary theory. We expect it to be of immense help for anyone asking what consequences evolutionary theory would have for one's faith and theology. A must read for theologians, biologists and anyone interested. Strongly recommended.
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The Cambridge Companion to Genesis, 2022
The Cambridge Companion to Genesis explores the first book of the Bible, the book that serves a... more The Cambridge Companion to Genesis
explores the first book of the Bible, the book that serves as the foundation for the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. Recognizing its unique position in world history, the history of religions, as well as biblical and theological studies, the volume summarizes key developments in Biblical scholarship since the Enlightenment, while offering an overview of the diverse methods and reading strategies that are currently applied to the reading of Genesis. It also explores questions that, in some cases, have been explored for centuries. Written by an international team of scholars whose essays were specially commissioned, the Companion provides a multi-disciplinary update of all relevant issues related to the interpretation of Genesis. Whether the reader is taking the first step on the path or continuing a research journey, this volume will illuminate the role of Genesis in world religions, theology, philosophy, and critical biblical scholarship.
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Cambridge Companion to Genesis, 2022
The Cambridge Companion to Genesis explores the first book of the Bible, the book that serves as ... more The Cambridge Companion to Genesis explores the first book of the Bible, the book that serves as the foundation for the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. Recognizing its unique position in world history, the history of religions, as well as biblical and theological studies, the volume summarizes key developments in Biblical scholarship since the Enlightenment, while offering an overview of the diverse methods and reading strategies that are currently applied to the reading of Genesis. It also explores questions that, in some cases, have been explored for centuries. Written by an international team of scholars whose essays were specially commissioned, the Companion provides a multidisciplinary update of all relevant issues related to the interpretation of Genesis. Whether the reader is taking the first step on the path or continuing a research journey, this volume will illuminate the role of Genesis in world religions, theology, philosophy, and critical biblical scholarship.
Here is the TABLE OF CONTENTS for the volume.
1. Introduction: Genesis and the status quaestionis (Bill T. Arnold)
PART ONE: COMPOSITION & STRUCTURE OF GENESIS
2. Genesis in the history of critical scholarship (Jean-Louis Ska)
3. Genesis in source and redaction criticism today (Jan Christian Gertz)
4. Genesis in form and tradition criticism today (Christoph Levin)
5. Rhetorical features and characteristics (Michaela Bauks)
PART TWO: SOCIAL WORLD OF GENESIS
6. Genesis and its ancient literary analogues (Alice Mandell)
7. Genesis and the conceptual world of the ancient Near East (John H. Walton)
8. Family, clan, and tribe in the book of Genesis (Naomi A. Steinberg)
9. Women's status and feminist readings of Genesis (Sarah Shectman)
PART THREE: THEMES & LITERARY MOTIFS OF GENESIS
10. From Imago to Imagines: The image(s) of God in Genesis (Brent A. Strawn)
11. Genesis, science, and theories of origins (Jitse M. van der Meer)
12. Genesis and ethics (Eckart Otto)
13. Genesis and the problem of evil: Philosophical musings on the Bible's first book (Paul M. Gould)
PART FOUR: RECEPTION HISTORY OF GENESIS
14. Modern philosophical receptions of Genesis (Frederick D. Aquino)
15. Jewish reflections on universalism and particularism in Genesis (Joel S. Kaminsky)
16. Before Moses: Genesis among the Christians (Iain Provan)
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