Abstract:
My engagement in this article with the South African systematic
theologian Cornel du Toit in recognition of his valued
scholarship is restricted to only two of his contributions in the
context of the science–theology debate. The first of these are
his recent unpublished paper Immanent transcendence and the
nature of life: developments from Schrödinger to Kauffman
(April 2012) delivered in Tartu, Estonia. In this contribution
Du Toit points towards a challenging way and direction in
which reflection on life should be pursued, namely holistically
in a bio-century. The second of Du Toit's contributions discussed
in this article is his thoughts on life in Values in the
science–religion dialogue: biological roots of human nature
and interaction with cultural environment. Here he focuses on
the biological roots of life-supporting values. I subsequently
ask what specific theological contribution can be made to a
redefinition of life in the context of the science–theology
debate. In my conversation with Du Toit a brief account is
given of his argument for a redefinition of life. Broad outlines
are then given to suggest how theological thoughts about life
can contribute to its redefinition. Lastly the case for the integration
of the constitutive importance of affectivity in any
effort to redefine life holistically is argued.
