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https://www.aschendorff-buchverlag.de/ detailview?no=11912
Evaluating the fundamental elements of a Scientific Theology While theology as a field is commonly thought of as part of the humanities, researchers do employ scientific methods to investigate the nature of God. Now researchers aim to assess the arguments on whether theology can actually be thought of as a scientific discipline, and to bring some structure to debates in related fields, as Dr Benedikt Göcke explains.
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The purpose of scientific research is the
Scientific theology
institutionalised attempt of providing true descriptions, good explanations, and correct predictions of our world, work which has led to many important discoveries, technical advances and material progress. On the surface this may seem very different from the field of theology, in which researchers look at the nature of God and investigate how religion shapes the world, yet the work of Dr Benedikt Göcke’s research group brings these two topics together. “We are analysing the different arguments against the possibility that theology, or confessional theology, is a scientific discipline,” he outlines. On the other hand researchers are also looking at the arguments in favour of the proposition that theology is indeed a scientific discipline, work which leads into Dr Göcke’s wider goals. “We want to bring some structure into interesting discussions in science, theology and the philosophy of science,” he continues. “From this point, we hope to then reach reasonable conclusions about the possibility of a scientific Catholic theology.”
This work is built on the analysis of recent debates and discussions in the philosophy of science, as well as in analytical philosophy and analytical theology. While the study of God and religion by nature involves a lot of reading, textual analysis and debate, theologians do actually employ scientific methods in research. “Theologians in different disciplines, like church law, moral theology, and Christian and social ethics, use scientific methods. For example, theologians use philological methods in the analysis of the Bible,” points out Dr Göcke. Other parallels can also be drawn in the foundations of theological and scientific research. For example, while scientific research is often thought of as a very rational activity, proceeding on the basis of observed data and accumulated knowledge, it is necessary to first make some fundamental assumptions about the nature of reality, like in theology. “It’s not possible to engage in science without making certain metaphysical presuppositions,” stresses Dr Göcke.
It is in practice unrealistic for human beings not to make any metaphysical assumptions in the course of their daily lives, Dr Göcke believes, regardless of their religious perspective. A religious individual makes assumptions about the existence of God for example, while even committed atheists still make metaphysical assumption about the nature of reality. “We all make metaphysical presuppositions,” says Dr Göcke. Theologians and scientists may, however, approach their work with certain metaphysical presuppositions, but, Dr Göcke says, it is important that these presuppositions are questioned and reflected on, as part of the search for objective truth. “In the humanities and the natural sciences, researchers need to reflect on the fundamental structure of what they see, which arguments can be formulated in favour of particular worldviews, and to identify possible inconsistencies,” he outlines. “The overall goal in research is to find objective truth. We engage in all these different activities in order to find it.”
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The members of the Vienna circle, an eminent group of philosophers who were active in the 1920s and ‘30s, had argued that science had to be built from the ground up, without any metaphysical presuppositions. However, subsequent debate in the philosophy of science has shown that this is not actually how science progresses and how new discoveries are made, a topic that Dr Göcke and his colleagues are exploring. “Based on the research of my colleague Dr Jan G. Michel, we have started analysing what exactly makes a scientific discovery. Dr Michel is currently developing a
in the Copernican Revolution. “There are sometimes points in scientific development where so much evidence accumulates against certain assumptions that it is essential to change perspective,” says Dr Göcke. The problem here is in identifying whether there are meta-theoretical principles that can guide such changes in perspective. “Science is always based on our common understanding of the world – our daily experience of being,” Dr Göcke continues. “When you see that the way you perceive the world doesn’t stand up any more, then you change your perspective.
Due to fundamental changes in the overall worldviews of the believers, it’s hard to imagine that religious beliefs literally meant the same thing to people 2,000 years ago that they do today theory of the structure of scientific discoveries which will lead us to a better understanding of what processes are behind the discovery of for instance a new species in biology, or a new particle in physics,” he outlines. This may involve changing perspective on the nature of reality and reassessing certain metaphysical and other presuppositions. The path of scientific progress involves not just the accumulation of knowledge, but also sometimes radical shifts in perspective, for example the change from a geocentric view of the solar system to a heliocentric view
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It’s about searching for the right perspective to understand reality.” An individual’s faith may be an important factor in this, and many people perceive the world through the dogmas of their particular faith. With respect to the ‘scientificness’ of theology, one important question is whether an individual can perceive the world from a religious perspective without generating inconsistencies with what is known from physics, biology, philosophy, or other disciplines. “That is one of the most fundamental questions that each and every religion has to ask itself,”
Dr Göcke emphasises. This would seem to imply that dogma, or the interpretation of it, should evolve in line with the advancement of knowledge, which indeed has historically been the case. “The interpretation of what a certain dogma means changes over the course of time. We have to decide on how to understand the dogma according to the circumstances in which we live,” continues Dr Göcke. “Due to fundamental changes in the overall worldviews of the believers, it’s hard to imagine that religious beliefs literally meant the same thing to people 2,000 years ago that they do today.”
Sharing perspectives The world has of course changed significantly since, yet researchers today remain preoccupied with the search for objective truth, both in theology and the natural sciences. While there can sometimes be a degree of mutual suspicion between the natural sciences and the humanities, Dr Göcke believes researchers in different disciplines can learn from each other. “We are trying to bring together scientists and theologians,” he explains. A good example is a recent seminar which brought together theology and geology students to discuss questions like how old the world is. “Some religions believe that the world is only 7,000 years old or so. We discussed this, so that the geology students got a better
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A scientific theology?! Naturalism and philosophy of science as challenges to catholic theology
Project Objectives
Both analytic philosophy of science and current naturalistic thinking are full of arguments against the very possibility of a scientific catholic theology. The research group intends to structure and evaluate these arguments by way of developing fundamental elements of a catholic philosophy of science that not only is able to reject these arguments but at the same time can account for the possibility of science as such.
Project Funding 1,600,000 euros
Project Partners
The project works extensively with colleagues from Cambridge University, Oxford University, Lincoln University, and Warsaw University.
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Professor Benedikt Paul Göcke Philosophy of Religion and Philosophy of Science, Catholic Faculty of Theology, Ruhr-University Bochum T: +49 234 32 29389 E: benedikt.goecke@rub.de W: http://www.kath.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/ wissenschaftstheorie/index.html.de https://news.rub.de/presseinformationen/ wissenschaft/2018-02-08-theologie-die-lehre-vongott-als-wissenschaft https://www.tagesspiegel.de/wissen/theologie-alswissenschaft-die-gottesfrage/21201240.html
understanding of how theologians approach certain philosophical and metaphysical questions. The philosophy and theology students also gained a better understanding of the methods that are used in the natural sciences,” says Dr Göcke. “For example, what methods are used to determine the age of the universe?” This type of interdisciplinary discussion and debate helps open up new perspectives on the nature and structure of scientific approaches to describing reality, which is
theology and metaphysics, while Dr Göcke is also engaged in the wider debate about the importance of theology in the digital age. “How will the development of artificial intelligence and other new technologies affect religious worldviews? How will it change how we perceive the world ethically?” he asks. “For instance, should robots have rights? Can we reconcile the incredible possibilities of artificial intelligence with a Christian perspective on reality?”
Theologians in different disciplines, like church law, moral theology, and christian and social ethics, use scientific methods. For example, theologians use philological methods in analysis of the Bible at the core of Dr Göcke’s research. From this point, he and his colleagues can then ask whether theology can be described as a scientific activity. “We are trying to show that confessional theology is a subject worthy of scientific reflection and is a scientific approach to reality itself,” says Dr Göcke. This research has led to the publication of a number of papers on the philosophy of science, as well as on
These topics remain the subject of lively debate, and it’s important to consider them from different perspectives as technology continues to advance. For instance, while self-driving cars could help improve traffic flow, there are some important ethical questions to consider first. “Who’s responsible if there is a crash? We need to think about these issues, before we introduce them on the streets,” stresses Dr Göcke. The Research Group
https://www.katholisch.de/aktuelles/aktuelleartikel/ist-theologie-eine-wissenschaft
Professor Benedikt Paul Göcke
Benedikt Paul Göcke is Professor for Philosophy of Religion and Philosophy of Science at the Catholic Faculty of Theology, Ruhr-University Bochum. He is also an associated member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at University of Oxford. He published articles in The International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Zygon, Sophia, The European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, and Theologie und Philosophie, among others.
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