Abstract:
In this paper the focus is on the extreme epistemological complexity of
the relationship between religion and science as two dominant forces in
our culture today. This complexity is aggravated by a seemingly conflictual
postmodern, pluralist challenge to a culture that already reveals
itself as decidedly empirically-minded. For theology and science a
meaningful dialogue becomes possible only if both modes of reflection
are willing to move away from overblown foundationalist epistemologies
and, for theology at least, from the intellectual coma of fideism. The
paper finally argues for a postfoundationalist epistemology where theology
and science, although very different modes of reflection, do share
the richness of the resources of human rationality. In so doing it
attempts to answer three crucial questions: i) are there good reasons for
still seeing the natural sciences as our clearest available example of
rationality at work? ii) If so, does the rationality of theological reflection
in any way overlap with scientific rationality? iii) Even if there are
impressive overlaps between these two modes of rationality, how would
the rationality of science and the rationality of religious reflection differ?
