I decided to modify the biology plan of First Son for First Daughter. Creator and Creation had been recommended many times, so I decided I'd finally just buy it for our biology course. Mary Daly was a scientist from a family of scientists who was passionate about allowing students to see the Lord at work in the natural world. Her books provide a solid foundation for Catholic students of science who, when they enter the university or academic world, will encounter resistance to the idea that you can be a faithful Catholic and an intelligent scientist.
In Creator and Creation, Daly begins with a clear explanation of terms like "creationism." She explores what the Church does and does not say about Creation and evolution. Early in the book, she quotes the Catechism:
Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason...methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. (Catechism #159, labeled as #296, perhaps from an earlier edition)
Later she says:
The creationist says that he knows what he knows because he reads the Bible. The Catholic says we know what we know because men are children of the Creator with minds in His image, and we can, therefore, learn about our Father by studying both the Bible and creation, always working in unison with the stabilizing covenant community, the Church. We are certain that revelation and natural understanding do not conflict. (p. 90)
The book essentially rejects the fundamentalist idea of Creationism (a young earth), but it is more flexible in its treatment of evolution.
But there are many flaws with the concept of evolution as a system to explain the universe and the world, including the development of life on Earth. These are not flaws in the concept of evolution, which is powerful and fascinating; they are evidence against the sufficiency of evolution as a total cosmology. (p. 94)
Daly provides a philosophical framework for considering the Catholic faith and the scientific ideas embedded in and surrounding Creation and evolution. It can help students carefully consider new ideas as they are reading science textbooks or articles or while listening to a lecture.
The universe is far more vast than medieval cosmology had numbers to express. The Earth is a tiny planet circling an insignificant star at the edge of a commonplace galaxy which spins within the wide universe as a mote of dust might drift along the edge of a soap bubble in a child's bath. If our value be measured in physical terms, it is too slight to notice.
Of course, faith tell us to measure it in spiritual terms. (pp. 101-102)
We learn that our planet is surprisingly perfect to foster life, particularly our life.
All the things which seemed to leave us on the insignificant margins of the cosmos, actually belonged to the perfect fitting of our universe home. (p. 102)
The book does suffer some stylistic and editorial flaws, which is common among those that are self-published. There are some scientific theories discussed which may, in time, be thoroughly disproven, but Daly's points are not dependent on any particular theories. She consistently insists we must follow where our rational minds and the created world lead us, secure in our faith of a good God who loves us.
I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I believe new copies of Creator and Creation are only available through the Hedge School website, but there are used copies available in the usual places.
