Jim Parry

In Proportion To the Evidence Jim Parry

"Faith, faith, of all things is what I want the most," James Hutton confided, "I ha'nt a single grain of it to do me any good.""A wise man, therefore, proportions his belief to the evidence," counselled David Hume. This new dual biography traces the origin of secular science through the lives of these two fascinating men: one, the father of modern philosophy; the other, the father of modern geology. Though fifteen years separated the two, they shared the same hometowns, university and friends, but there is no record they ever met. But they had to! No less a figure than Ben Franklin was in town for their encounter. And furthermore, author Jim Parry makes the case that the influence they had on one another was absolutely critical to the development of their work, and paved the future of science and the pursuit of truth itself. The result was to inflame the controversy between science and religion which has only escalated since. If you enjoy reading biographies or books about science, religion or history, then Jim Parry's "In Proportion to the Evidence" provides an engaging and enlightening combination of all these genres. Through the lens of the lives of two Scotsmen, David Hume and James Hutton, Parry tells the very human, true tale of how western science and religion were divorced in the 18th century. Two brilliant and humble men who ran in the same circles ushered in a new era. Did they ever meet? There is no record that they did, but Parry makes a convincing case that it's almost unthinkable that they didn't - and even posits how such a historic occasion may have gone down.