Book Review: Mormon Scientist

Henry Eyring died before I was old enough to know or care who he was. As far as I can remember, I first became aware of him during college, and only because of my interest in science and the accessibility of the Internet. With the publication of Mormon Scientist: The Life and Faith of Henry Eyring, Henry is once again in the limelight and a new generation can become familiar with him. This new biography is written by his grandson, Henry J. Eyring (who was urged to do so by Elder Neal A. Maxwell), and draws on Henry's former books, archived materials, articles published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought (see below), and the memories of his children, including President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency (and father of the author). The book is published by Deseret Book and during my recent trip to Utah I observed that it was being heavily advertised.

Among Church members who know his name, Henry Eyring is probably known for three things: (i) his commitment to the Church, (ii) his commitment to--and successful career in--science, and (perhaps less-well known) (iii) his bold but diplomatic face-off with Joseph Fielding Smith, then president of the Quorum of the Twelve. In light of the above, and given the position of President Eyring, I wondered what to expect from the book.

If you are looking for a reconciliation of science and religion you will be disappointed. Henry did not attempt reconciliation; he accepted contradiction and couched his views on science in terms of the genius of God while shunning dogmatism. Although it is portrayed as genuine, I have to think that his vagueness was also strategic. He often repeated his father's advice to him that "in this Church you don't have to believe anything that isn't true." Statements like that emphasize the broadness of Mormonism and allow people of different persuasions to see in it what they want, while avoiding becoming locked into conflict with any particular Church leader. Nevertheless, the book is peppered with Eyring's words of wisdom, some of which science-enthusiasts may want to appropriate for their own use.

The book provides a survey of Henry's life, beginning with his youth in one of the Mormon colonies in Mexico, and then charting his scientific career. Although some sense of his research accomplishments is given, the book avoids technicalities and readers need not have a background in science. Most of the book focuses on his role as ambassador between science and religion, as well as personality traits that made him unique. I did not previously know that he was actually assigned by the First Presidency (under David O. McKay) to unofficially represent the Church in science-and-religion discussions. However, he did not use that fact to bolster his position.

Among faithful Church members, it would have added great weight to his arguments to say, "I speak regularly at the request of the First Presidency, and they're supportive of my views." The temptation would have been especially great when well-intentioned Church members criticized his scientific views as evidence of weak faith or even heresy.... He discretely stood on his own authority and took his lumps, because that was part of the job. (p. 208)

Henry's famous face-off with Joseph Fielding Smith is recounted in a respectful but forthright manner. The same forthrightness characterizes discussion of Henry's parents; not only was his father polygamously married to sisters (something that, at a young age, Henry decided was not a good idea), the second marriage took place in 1903, well after the 1890 Manifesto. By way of explanation the book states,

However, polygamy was still legal in Mexico...and Church leaders in the Mormon colonies continued to selectively encourage polygamy until a final worldwide prohibition was issued by the First Presidency in Salt Lake City in 1904.

Although that statement glosses over some of the sticky issues surrounding post-Manifesto polygamy, I was surprised to see it treated at all. My guess is that many Church members will find such a thing surprising.

I found a few points to quibble with, but I don't think they are worth mentioning here. Overall the book makes for light reading, with only excerpts of representative letters used. I hope that someone will assemble and publish more of his correspondence. Also, readers should know that the focus of the book is firmly on Henry. Other family members are mentioned from time to time, however readers should not expect to gain direct insight into their views (i.e. President Henry B. Eyring's views).

Sadly the Church does not currently have a scientific mentor--someone who commands the respect and support of both leaders and laity, and can serve to ease the tension between science and religion. For this reason, I hope that Mormon Scientist will be read widely in the LDS community.


Resources:

Mormon Scientist has an associated website: mormonscientist.org. There you can read a free chapter, and Henry Eyring's books, The Faith of a Scientist and Reflections of a Scientist, will be made freely available--a wonderful idea!

In addition, interested readers may want to consult the following:

1. A Dialogue with Henry Eyring
2. Agreeing to Disagree: Henry Eyring and Joseph Fielding Smith (original article here)
3. Harvey Fletcher and Henry Eyring: Men of Faith and Science (original article here)
4. The Deseret Morning News interviewed Henry J. Eyring here.
5. My own Q&A with Henry J. Eyring is here.

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