John William Draper’s History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science is a famous and influential nineteenth-century work arguing that science and organised religion, especially the medieval Church, have been locked in long opposition. Draper surveys the history of thought from antiquity through the Middle Ages to modern times, recounting episodes in which, he claims, religious authority resisted the advance of knowledge. The book helped popularise the so-called conflict thesis.
Though its sweeping argument has since been much qualified by historians, the work remains a landmark in the history of ideas and a vigorous statement of the Victorian faith in scientific progress. Its treatment of the medieval Church and the rise of science was widely read and debated. Readers interested in the history of science, religion, or nineteenth-century thought will find it significant. This free EPUB edition makes available Draper’s once enormously popular and controversial book.