»Thinking God's Thoughts?«

Arguably, the idioms of theology and of natural sciences have little direct contact with one another except by way of philosophical mediation. The philosophy of science interprets scientific activity and therefore is crucial to discussions about science and religion. Many of those discussions have assumed or adopted a single interpretation of science – scientific realism. Yet realism and its attendant optimism about science's theoretical insights are not taken for granted by philosophers of science, who have advanced arguments against realism and generated alternative philosophies of science. Such alternative philosophies depict science in a lower register which may point science-engaged theology in fruitful directions. In this essay, I highlight the prevalence of realist assumptions in discussions of science and religion and note the historical context which perhaps animated them (1). In (2), I suggest some of the ways that realism might inflect those conversations. In (3), I outline some of the arguments against scientific realism and sketch a few alternative interpretations of science. In (4), I posit some projects for science-engaged theology when it does not assume scientific realism or scientific metaphysics, such as social critiques of science and its power structures, issues of formation, intellectual virtue, and education.