Possibilities & Limitations of Modern Science. An Epistemological & Ethical Analysis from a Theological Perspective

Doprinos poduzima gotovo nemoguću misiju. Ta je spoznaja već razvidna iz ambicioznog naslova doprinosa »Mogućnosti i granice suvremene znanosti«. U tom smislu su potrebna neka jasna razgraničenja, a najvažnije se tiče teologijskog pristupa u obradi ove teme. U tu je svrhu doprinos podijeljen u šest zasebnih, ali međuovisnih paragrafa koji, slijedeći unutarnju logiku izlaganja, pokušavaju ponuditi jedan sintetički prikaz povijesnog i suvremenog problema granica i mogućnosti znanosti s dodatnim tematskim i sadržajnim razgraničenjima i pojašnjenjima. U prvom dijelu autor ističe polazište svojih promišljanja, a to je koncilska sinteza stanja duha i svijesti suvremenoga svijeta i čovjeka. U drugom dijelu autor poduzima korake u smjeru dokazivanja istinitosti jednog povijesnog, ali i doktrinarnog paradoksa, gledajući iz suvremene perspektive, a to je kršćansko ishodište moderne znanosti zajedno s nužnim biblijskim i teološkim pojašnjenjima. Imajući na umu taj paradoks, autor u trećem dijelu doprinosa daje vlastitu analizu Akvinčevog nauka o znanosti i autonomiji, ali to čini u svjetlu novijega crkvenoga nauka. Razlog tome leži u htijenju da se pokaže kako novovjekovni nesporazumi između Crkve i njezine teologije, s jedne, te netom rođene moderne znanosti, s druge strane, nisu u početku bili motivirani ni autentično vjerskim ni znanstvenim, nego većinom društvenim, institucionalnim i političkim razlozima. Posljedično, autor u četvrtom dijelu doprinosa pokušava pokazati da noviji crkveni i teološki nauk o autonomiji stvorenoga svijeta i o dužnoj autonomiji pojedinačnih znanosti i umjetnosti nije nekakva nova objava, nego je samo ispravno i kontekstualno tumačenje i razumijevanje poruke već sadržane u Objavi, a koju je već bio shvatio sv. Toma u govoru o znanstvenosti teologije i autonomiji drugih znanosti. Peti dio doprinosa bavi se realnim mogućnostima suvremene znanosti u svjetlu čitavog niza ozbiljnih i zabrinjavajućih problemskih izazova. Utoliko se otvara prostor za lakše i suvislije razlikovanje između čiste i primijenjene znanosti, a što posebno dolazi do izražaja u šestom dijelu doprinosa u kojemu autor daje neka načelna, epistemološka pojašnjenja u etičkom vrednovanju znanosti i znanstvene djelatnosti.This contribution under takes an almost impossible mission. That realisation is already obvious from the ambitious title of the article »possibilities and limitations of modem science«. In that regard, some clear boundaries are required and the most important of these deals with the theological approach to analysing this topic. The article is therefore divided into six separate but mutually dependent paragraphs that follow a logical presentation and attempt to offer a synthetic presentation of the historical and contemporary problem of the limitations and possibilities of science with additional thematic and contextual boundaries and explanations. In the first part of the article, the author emphasises the starting point of thought and that is the Council synthesis of the state of the spirit in the awareness of the modem world and modem man. In the second part, the author undertakes steps towards proving the validity of a historical, but also, doctrinal paradox, from a modem perspective and that is the Christian source of modem science together with vital Biblical and theological explanations. Keeping in mind that paradox, in the third section, the author offers his own analysis of Aquinas\u27 teaching of science and autonomy. However, he does so in the light of more recent Church teaching. The reason for this lies in the desire to show how new age miscomprehension between the Church and its theology on the one hand, and recently born modem science on the other, was not originally motivated by authentic religious or scientific motives but rather social, institutional and political. Consequently, in the fourth section, the author attempts to show that recent church and theological teaching about autonomy of the created world and about the obliged autonomy of individual sciences and the arts are not a new proclamation, but rather, a correct and contextual interpretation and understanding of the message already contained in the Proclamation, which St. Thomas\u27 had already comprehended while speaking about the science of theology and the autonomy of other sciences. The fifth section of the article deals with real possibilities of modem sciences in light of an entire series of serious and concerning problematic challenges, where by space is opened for easier and redundant differentiating between pure and applied sciences, which is particularly expressed in part six of the article, where the author offers some principle, epistemological explanations of ethic evaluation of science and scientific activities