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Kresimir Cerovac
Dialogue between Religion/Theology and Science as the Imperative of Time


Abstract

The work is divided into five parts: Introductory Consideration, Science as Ideology, Epistemological and Ethical Limits of Science, Dialogue between Religion/Theology as the Imperative of Time and Concluding Deliberations.

Today the science is thought to be an exhaustive and adequate representation of the world, a true knowledge ruled by a criterion of absolute truth, a rigorous account of the ultimate explanations of the origin of the universe and the functioning of the whole of reality. Science today strongly influences on human life and on the condition of nature, because the consequences of its researches are very often doubtful and risky and therefore in front of human race place a lot of sensitive questions on which science alone can not, and is not allowed, to give the answers.

In today’s civilization the question appears about science as ideology. If one understands under the term “ideology” dogmatism, intolerance, false consciousness and irrefutability, then science can not be understood as ideology. But, the problem appears when one asserts that science has no limits and that science can offer the solution for every problem, including the one about the ultimate meaning and the purpose of the world and the man.

There are many reasons why the dialogue between theology/religion and the natural sciences is necessary. But this dialogue ought to be at first the conversation of human being with human being about the most important human interests. In critical enquiries about theological and scientific questions the most important is the dialogue in the sense of Plato's dialectic, the struggle for a foundational knowledge which will ground right action, and which is predicated upon a prior recognition of our own failure to grasp in depth the nature of the world. Practically the only way of approaching to the complex questions and problems in the dialogue between theology and science is transdisciplinary attempt.

Transdisciplinarity can solve problems which could not be solved by isolated efforts. Such approach can assemble together everyone thinking in a different manner, respectively, those who represent different views regarding the material world or religion. Transdisciplinary approach has the role of mediator, which on the „round table“ demands for that what human beings links on the level of universally human. It is a challenge and demanding approach, which requires from researchers to leave their territory and to try to learn about the others.

Transdisciplinary research is based on the controlled conflict which is caused by paradoxes. Because of confrontation of these paradoxes, methodologies, which originate from different disciplines, are combining in one unique approach which integrates the different kinds of knowledge. Transdisciplinarity creates a new quality which is not arithmetical sum of individual disciplines and enables articulation, respectively coherence, between two, on the first sight, contradictory courses of disciplinary reflections.

The work elaborates possibility of explained dialogue in which is not into the question (only) “Vatican way of promotion” of dialogue between theology and science (and philosophy), but transdisciplinary reflection and investigation of science and humanism, respectively of science and religion. Transdisciplinarity is understood here as an integrating, however not holistic, concept, which resolves the problems and questions on higher methodological plane.

Biography

Kresimir Cerovac is an electrical engineer and works as Head of the energy department in the Ministry of Economy, Labor and Entrepreneurship of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. Born in Zagreb (1942), his education includes grammar school, Faculty of electricity (B.Sc.) (1961-1966) and Master of Science degree (M.Sc.) (1979). During 11 years he prepared as the author and editor 113 radio broadcasts on Croatian Catholic Radio about the relationship between religion/theology and natural sciences. He is also author of Concordance between Faith and Science and author of more than 140 articles in Croatian newspaper and theological magazines on the subject religion (theology) and science. He is also active public speaker on the mentioned themes. He received the ESSSAT (European Society for Study of Science and Theology) Communications Prize for year 2006.

Kresimir Cerovac is the member and one of founders of Croatian Study Group for “Science and Spirituality” (in the framework of Metanexus initiative).



 

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