Science, History and Archeology

A few weeks ago, I began outlining useful categories in which to discuss aspects of Chareidi doctrine. We previously discussed the Chareidi view on leadership.

I am going to skip several of those categories (for now) and focus on the Chareidi perspective on "Science, History and Archeology." For those of you who want me to go through the earlier outlined categories in the order listed, please remember that I can skip whatever I want; this is my blog.

Chareidi Jews view the disciplines of science, history and archeology with considerable suspicion. However, as one moves from the "harder" disciplines (biology, chemistry, physics) to the "softer" pursuits (history, archeology) , that suspicion increases exponentially.

Chareidim do not shun science per se, nor do they (for the most part) reject the technological advances that scientific endeavor has produced. However, when there is any conflict between scientific thought and a literal reading of Chumash or Midrash, the scientific view cannot be accepted.

Any evidence offered by scientists in favor of their proposition is tainted with bias; scientists are trained (perhaps indoctrinated) to pursue a naturalistic and atheistic explanation for all unknown phenomena. Findings, regardless of their evidentiary weight, regarding the origins of life, the age of the universe or the fallibility of certain Talmudic pronouncements are rejected as forbidden heresy or, more often, as utter nonsense.

History and archeology, like textual analysis, are viewed as utterly speculative and irredeemably biased fields of study. Chareidim do not believe that scholars in these areas have anything of value to offer the TorahTrue Jewish mind. Even the evidence raised by these ventures, absent the conclusions arrived at by modern scholars, should not be examined.

J.D.