How did Augustine's thought shape a scientific worldview?

Duration: 57 mins 26 secs

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Description:	Research Seminar given by Prof Karla Pollmann on 6th October 2015


Created:	2015-10-07 11:59
Collection:	Faraday Institute Lectures
Publisher:	Faraday Institute
Copyright:	Faraday Institute
Language:	eng (English)
Keywords:	Augustine; Pollmann; faraday; science; religion;


Abstract:	If a historical perspective is taken into account, modern interactions between science and religion tend to be based on the assumption that early Christian thinkers were generally hostile towards the sciences, and had a Biblically grounded, pre-scientific world-view. This paper will carefully analyse some ideas of Augustine of Hippo (354-430), arguably the most influential early Christian thinker in the Latin West, leading to a much more nuanced picture. In particular Augustine’s notion of the complementarity of the sciences and faith, his insistence on the validity of some scientific thought as opposed to an unsophisticated understanding of the Bible, as well as his awareness that the sciences cannot monopolize the generation of a comprehensive view of reality deserve modern attention

Abstract:

If a historical perspective is taken into account, modern interactions between science and religion tend to be based on the assumption that early Christian thinkers were generally hostile towards the sciences, and had a Biblically grounded, pre-scientific world-view. This paper will carefully analyse some ideas of Augustine of Hippo (354-430), arguably the most influential early Christian thinker in the Latin West, leading to a much more nuanced picture. In particular Augustine’s notion of the complementarity of the sciences and faith, his insistence on the validity of some scientific thought as opposed to an unsophisticated understanding of the Bible, as well as his awareness that the sciences cannot monopolize the generation of a comprehensive view of reality deserve modern attention

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