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GREY MATTERS
Nothing is yet in its true form.
C. S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces1
A panel of Princeton University scientists recently gathered together to deliberate "whether strong religious belief can coexist with reliance on science."2 Constraining their definition of truth to "factual human knowledge," the panel, led by professor of molecular biology Lee Silver, posed the provocative question, whether "science has effectively demonstrated that religious beliefs have no place in the rational mind."2 How one decides that question guides the answer to a related question essential for the Christian physician. How can faith in Jesus Christ coexist with medical science?
Central to newfound confidence in the claim that science has superseded faith is the expanding scientific account not only of nature but also of human nature. At the leading edge of this research, neuro science is unveiling spectacular discoveries about the brain. Neuron by neuron, the brain is yielding its intimate details to sophisticated neurochemical, neurogenetic and neuroimaging methodologies. The molecular basis of perception, reasoning, decision, faith and belief- every category of thought - has become accessible to the scrutiny of neuro science. Neuroscience thus offers an increasingly detailed account - in purely physical terms - of mental processes that previously were understood to be within the purview of philosophy, religion and the arts.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which detects regional increases in blood flow that accompany neural activity, has become a powerful tool to investigate the neuronal architecture of the brain systems underlying specific cognitive functions. Whereas in the past, localizing brain functions relied on the study of patients with brain lesions that happened to destroy those functions,3 fMRI permits precise, noninvasive, spatial and temporal resolution of psychological processes in the intact, living brain. Brain regions showing increased metabolic activity over baseline will "light up" on fMRI scans. Language, for example, has been mapped in this way, as fMRI studies have shown involvement of the occipital cortex in reading text, the left posterior temporal lobe (Wernicke's area) in comprehending language, the right temporal lobe in assessing context, and the left inferior frontal lobe (Broca's area) in producing speech.4
In recent years fMRI has turned to investigating the moral domain. Studies of subjects presented with moral dilemmas have shown that there...