Mathematics and Religion – Our Languages of Sign and Symbol

Mathematics and Religion: Our Languages of Sign and Symbol is the sixth title published in the Templeton Science and Religion Series, in which scientists from a wide range of fields distill their experience and knowledge into brief tours of their respective specialties. In this volume, Javier Leach, a mathematician and Jesuit priest, leads a fascinating study of the historical development of mathematical language and its influence on the evolution of metaphysical and theological languages.

Leach traces three historical moments of change in this evolution: the introduction of the deductive method in Greece, the use of mathematics as a language of science in modern times, and the formalization of mathematical languages in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As he unfolds this fascinating history, Leach notes the striking differences and interrelations between the two languages of science and religion. Until now there has been little reflection on these similarities and differences, or about how both languages can complement and enrich each other.

Javier Leach has been director of the Chair of Science, Technology, and Religion Department since its creation in 2003 at the Comillas University in Madrid (Spain). He is also a Jesuit priest. Currently he teaches logic and mathematics in the Department of Computing at the Complutense University of Madrid, one of the main public universities in Spain. He holds degrees in philosophy, mathematics, and theology.