Description

The Warfare of Science (1893 First Edition)

By Andrew Dickson White – Co-founder of Cornell University

Explore one of the most powerful intellectual works of the 19th century — The Warfare of Science by Andrew Dickson White, a landmark critique of the historical tension between science and religion. White, an educator, senator, and founding president of Cornell University, originally delivered this content as a traveling lecture series, including his famous 1870s Phi Beta Kappa oration at Brown University. In 1893, he published this material as a bold written record for future generations.

Note: This 1893 edition is the original first publication of Andrew Dickson White’s landmark lecture series, which later evolved into his expanded two-volume work published in 1896. As the precursor to the more widely known version, this edition holds unique historical value — capturing White’s arguments in their raw, unfiltered form as delivered across the nation’s top universities.

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Science vs. Theology:

White’s thesis remains as thought-provoking today as it was 130 years ago — exposing how religious institutions resisted emerging scientific truths in their effort to preserve dogma. The book details how theology once stood in the way of medicine, astronomy, anatomy, geology, economics, and more.

With direct accounts and historical references, he illustrates:

• The persecution of Galileo for promoting heliocentrism

• The church’s labeling of geometry as “of the devil” and banning mathematicians

• Saint Thomas Aquinas’ struggle to reconcile theology with physics

• Bans on medical books and the early church’s resistance to anatomical study

• The anti-vaccination movement of 1798 led by clergymen

• The denouncement of geology as “a dark art”

• Economic oppression under anti-interest (usury) religious restrictions

• White’s deeper invitation to reinterpret scripture with new scientific understanding

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Why This Book Still Matters:

This isn’t just a history book — it’s a call for intellectual courage. White hoped not to prolong the “warfare” but to end it by encouraging cooperation between faith and reason. His words push the reader to ask:

What beliefs today may soon be overturned? What truths are we silencing in fear? How can science and theology build a better world — together?

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“Let the warfare of science then be changed… let it be a warfare in which religion and science shall stand together as allies — not enemies.”
– Andrew Dickson White

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Authenticity Guarantee:

This book was professionally scanned directly from our personal antique copy and remains 100% true to the original edition. No words, formatting, or illustrations have been changed.

Note: The cover image shown is a stylized Goodson Gallery Digital Archive Edition, created for consistency across our collection.

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Ideal For:

• Students of history, theology, and philosophy

• Readers exploring the roots of modern science

• Thinkers curious about the church’s evolving role in society

• Anyone asking: What do we still blindly believe today?