From Observation to Theory

2018 ◽  
pp. 154-181
Author(s):  
Alister E. McGrath
Keyword(s):  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Potential Significance ◽  
Existence Of God ◽  
The World ◽  
Intellectual Journey

How do we move from observing the world to developing more complex and sophisticated ways of representing and understanding it? This chapter examines the intellectual journey from observing our world to representing it in theory, focussing on three distinct processes that are widely believed to be important in this process—deduction, induction, and abduction. Each of these rational strategies is used in theological or philosophical arguments relating to the existence of God. In each case, careful consideration is given to its application both in the natural sciences and in Christian theology. Particular attention is given to the American philosopher Charles S. Peirce’s use of abduction, and its potential significance for Christian theology.

How Do We Recognize God

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-128
Author(s):  
Stanisław Judycki
Keyword(s):  
Christian Theology ◽  
Historical Events ◽  
Existence Of God ◽  
Christian Religion ◽  
Sources Of Knowledge ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mystical Experiences ◽  
Theology And Philosophy ◽  
Significant Weakness

There are three main ways to acquire the knowledge of the existence of God and the knowledge of His nature. These are either the arguments taking into account the nature of the world and our thinking about the world, or it is the argumentation trying to prove the authenticity of certain historical events, or it is a reference to particular types of experiences, called mystical experiences. In the case of Christian philosophy we will have to consider, firstly, the cosmological and ontological arguments for the existence of God, and, secondly,  the attempts to show the authenticity of reports of the events regarding Jesus of Nazareth and, thirdly, the arguments in favor of the objectivity of mystical experiences recorded in the history of Christian religion. In regard to all of the above-mentioned three sources of knowledge about God, I would like to ask the following questions. How do we know that all of them refer to the same object? On what basis can we say that even if these three 'ways to God' are correct, they refer us to the same being? Are they independent of each other, and if they depend on each other in some way, what are the relationships among them? If we were not able to demonstrate that the item referred to by the term 'God' in all of these three ways is the same object or being, it would represent a significant weakness in Christian theology and philosophy. I will try to outline what relationship may exist between these three sources of knowledge about God. Then I will attempt to describe the criteria connecting all these sources of knowledge.

Towards a Theology of Nature

1964 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-145
Author(s):  
W. A. Whitehouse
Keyword(s):  
Subject Matter ◽  
Natural Theology ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
Evolutionary Aspect ◽  
Physical Universe ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject

The phrase ‘a theology of nature’ is an abbreviation for ‘a theological account of natural happenings’—happenings which are properly investigated in the first instance by appropriate ‘natural sciences’. A Christian theology of nature seeks to provide a systematic appreciation of the physical universe, its items and occurrences, from a Christian theological point of view. If it is to rank as a serious contribution to human wisdom, it must be a disciplined effort to understand in appropriate terms the object of interest. One version of the discipline would be to produce an extension of the natural sciences, to cover topics—God, freedom, immortality—which fall outside their scope by a ‘metaphysical’ science which links these topics to the subject-matter of natural sciences in a theoretical account of ‘being as such’. This would have the effect of reintroducing ‘Natural Theology’, reshaped and revitalised, into the fabric of Christian systematic theology. This project is not being advocated in this article. It is mentioned solely in order to distinguish the present topic, a ‘theology of nature’, from what is traditionally known as ‘natural theology’. The purpose of this article is to explore afresh the structure of Christian intellectual response to the wonder of the world, as it is now being analysed by science, with particular attention to the ‘evolutionary’ aspect of things, appreciation of which has radically affected modern sensibility.

Rational Explanation in Science and Religion

2018 ◽  
pp. 124-153
Author(s):  
Alister E. McGrath
Keyword(s):  
Science And Religion ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Good Theory ◽  
Existence Of God ◽  
Rational Explanation

This chapter considers what it means to ‘explain’ something in the natural sciences and Christian theology. A number of theories of explanation are considered, including ‘ontic’ and ‘epistemic’ approaches to explanation. Their respective merits and applications are examined. Particular attention is paid to ‘unitative explanation’, the idea that a good theory is able to enfold other theories, or enable things which were previously seen as unrelated to be considered as part of a greater coherent whole. The implications of these reflections for theological explanation are then considered, with the focus on one of Thomas Aquinas’s famous arguments for the existence of God—the ‘Second Way’.

ПСИХОДИДАКТИЧЕСКИЕ АСПЕКТЫ ОСВОЕНИЯ СТУДЕНТАМИ-ГУМАНИТАРИЯМИ СОДЕРЖАНИЯ ЕСТЕСТВЕННОНАУЧНЫХ ДИСЦИПЛИН// Academy Journal No.5(17), 2019/ Chief Editor Susan Belih /OEAPS Inc.(Open European Academy of Public Sciences). Tallinn, Estonia. 09.05.2019: OEAPS Inc., 2019. - pp. 37-44.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Раиса Николаевна Афонина ◽  
Татьяна Степановна Малолеткина
Keyword(s):  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Natural Science ◽  
Chief Editor ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
European Academy ◽  
Emotional Perception ◽  
The World ◽  
Humanities Students ◽  
Figurative Thinking

В статье рассматриваются психодидактические аспекты освоения студентами-гуманитариями содержания естественнонаучных дисциплин. Специфика обучения естественнонаучным дисциплинам студентов-гуманитариев определяется наличием у данной группы обучающихся особенностей восприятия и переработки информации. Для гуманитариев в большей мере характерно превалирование ассоциативного, образного мышления, эмоционального восприятия информации, отторжение формализованных, доказательных способов рассуждений, доминирование реального восприятия окружающего мира над абстрактным, идеализированным. Современные педагогические методики в основном ориентированы на левополушарное восприятие, именно поэтому правополушарные учащиеся оказываются в невыгодном положении. The article deals with psychodidactic aspects of mastering the content of natural sciences by humanities students. The specificity of teaching the natural science disciplines of humanities students is determined by the presence of features of perception and processing of information in this group of students. For the humanities, the prevalence of associative, figurative thinking, emotional perception of information, the rejection of formalized, evidence-based ways of reasoning, the dominance of the real perception of the world over the abstract, idealized, are more characteristic. Modern pedagogical methods are mainly focused on left hemisphere perception, which is why right hemispheric students find themselves at a disadvantage.

Defending the Difference

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
True Nature ◽  
Natural Entities ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Methodological Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The One

Dreyfus argues that there is a basic methodological difference between the natural sciences and the social sciences, a difference that derives from the different goals and practices of each. He goes on to argue that being a realist about natural entities is compatible with pluralism or, as he calls it, “plural realism.” If intelligibility is always grounded in our practices, Dreyfus points out, then there is no point of view from which one can ask about or provide an answer to the one true nature of ultimate reality. But that is consistent with believing that the natural sciences can still reveal the way the world is independent of our theories and practices.

Astrobiology and its influence on the renewal of the way we see the world from the teloempathic, educational and astrotheological perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 330-334
Author(s):  
Octavio A. Chon Torres
Keyword(s):  
Natural Sciences ◽  
The Other ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The World ◽  
The Way

AbstractThere is a record of the positive effects of astrobiological research for the natural sciences and eventually for their technological use on Earth. However, on the philosophical effects, this is not as visible as the other sciences, which is why it can be assumed that it is a waste of time speculating on astrobioethics or also on the philosophy of astrobiology. This is the reason why this work seeks to identify and sustain the philosophical utility of astrobioethics. To achieve this, this article focuses on three essential aspects: teloempathy, education and astrotheology. Russell's argument about the value of philosophy will be used as a fundamental basis for the usefulness of astrobioethics.

Does God Manifest Himself in the World in Trickles of Music?

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-65
Author(s):  
Calvin Stapert
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
The World

The reception of Mozart's music is rife with extravagant claims that connect it to the divine and see it as a source of hope and comfort. Although that aspect of Mozart reception is still alive and well, recent demystification projects have tried to reduce his music to “social construction.” Christian theology goes some distance with those projects, but it also gives reason to believe that human artifacts can give glimpses of transcendence and reason for hope. Further, it guides our response to them between the dangers of idolatry and ingratitude.

A NEW VERSION OF MISKAWAYH’S BOOK OF TRIUMPH: AN ALTERNATIVE RECENSION OF AL-FAWZ AL-AṢGHAR OR THE LOST FAWZ AL-AKBAR?

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELVIRA WAKELNIG
Keyword(s):  
English Translation ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Arabic Text ◽  
Additional Material ◽  
Textual Evidence ◽  
Standard Version ◽  
The World ◽  
Alternative Version ◽  
The One ◽  
Unpublished Manuscripts

Textual evidence preserved in two still unpublished manuscripts strongly suggests that there once existed an alternative version of Miskawayh’s Fawz al-aṣghar, the Minor Book of Triumph. The article discusses possible explanations for why Miskawayh may have composed two recensions of his Fawz and compares structure and content of the alternative version with the edited standard version. The one passage which is contained in the alternative Fawz only is presented in Arabic with an English translation. Part of this additional material is parallel to al-Fārābī’s Iḥṣā’ al-‘ulūm, namely its division of natural sciences, and may ultimately derive from a no longer extant treatise by Paul the Persian. An appendix provides the Arabic text and English translation of a hitherto unknown fragment of al-Balkhī in which he discusses Plato’s saying that the world has a causative, but no temporal beginning.

Assessing Contemporary Crises: Aligning Safety Science and Security Studies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bibi van den Berg ◽  
Ruth Prins ◽  
Sanneke Kuipers
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Security Studies ◽  
Nation States ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Safety Science ◽  
Key Topics

Security and safety are key topics of concern in the globalized and interconnected world. While the terms “safety” and “security” are often used interchangeably in everyday life, in academia, security is mostly studied in the social sciences, while safety is predominantly studied in the natural sciences, engineering, and medicine. However, developments and incidents that negatively affect society increasingly contain both safety and security aspects. Therefore, an integrated perspective on security and safety is beneficial. Such a perspective studies hazardous and harmful events and phenomena in the full breadth of their complexity—including the cause of the event, the target that is harmed, and whether the harm is direct or indirect. This leads to a richer understanding of the nature of incidents and the effects they may have on individuals, collectives, societies, nation-states, and the world at large.

scholarly journals Is consciousness a product of the brain or/and a divine act of God? Concise insights from neuroscience and Christian theology

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
Current Literature ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Spiritual Experiences ◽  
The Brain

Over several years now, notable research has been undertaken on consciousness from various disciplines in the natural sciences, especially in neuroscience and Christian theology. This paper will therefore attempt to add to the current literature in these areas by addressing briefly the following three main aspects, namely, (1) Presenting a succinct explanation of the various views of consciousness by select scholars. (2) Exploring briefly the question, ‘Is the emergence of consciousness a product of an evolved brain?’ (3) Concisely examining the question, ‘Is consciousness of God and spiritual experiences a divine act and/or a process of an evolved brain?’

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