Interdisciplinary Dialogue and the Social Teaching of the Church

Središnje pitanje kojim se ovaj rad bavi jest pitanje dijaloga između teologije i drugih znanosti, odnosno pitanje mjesta i uloge koju u interdisciplinarnom dijalogu ima socijalni nauk Crkve. Polazi se od pretpostavke da je stanje u kojem suvremene znanosti i suvremeni svjetonazori iskazuju neograničeno povjerenje u dostatnost znanstvenog znanja i tehnološkog razvoja, veliki izazov teologiji čija je teološka vizija - jer razotkriva kršćansku objavu koja, riječima Benedikta XVI., »pretpostavlja metafizičko tumačenje \u27humanuma\u27, čiji je bitan element relacijalnost« (Caritas in veritate, br. 55) - nužna za promicanje cjelovitog ljudskog razvoja. Polazi se od pretpostavke da su istine metafizike, istine transcendentalne i duhovne dimenzije temelji istina svih znanstvenih disciplina. Ovaj rad ima cilj pridonijeti interdisciplinarnim praksama na način da ukaže na mogućnosti intelektualne sinteze i nužnosti temelja koji se zahtijevaju za njezino ostvarenje. Također, postavlja se pitanje je li teološko-vjerski i socijalno-etički pristup prepreka ili poticaj toj intelektualnoj sintezi, koja je u konačnici ujedno i sinteza egzistencijalnoga. U središtu prvog poglavlja je ponovno otkrivena interdisciplinarnost i dijalog, kojih bogatstvo se otkriva u novoj potrazi i potrebi za »jakom« interdisciplinarnom suradnjom između znanstvenika, filozofa i teologa. Interdisciplinarnost je ovdje ustvari transdisciplinarnost. U drugom dijelu rada propituje se interdisciplinarna dimenzija socijalnog nauka Crkve, u središtu čijeg epistemološkog određenja se nalazi usmjerenost na interdisciplinarni dijalog s različitim razinama ljudskoga znanja i sa suvremenim globaliziranim i pluralističkim društvom. Po svojoj interdisciplinarnoj dimenziji socijalni nauk Crkve ostvaruje svoju mudrosnu, odnosno transdisciplinarnu dimenziju, a ponovno vraćanje pozornosti ka praktičnoj mudrosti postaje temeljnim zahtjevom svekolike interdisciplinarne aktivnosti. Na temelju istraživalačke djelatnosti Marijana Valkovića, u posljednjem poglavlju daje se primjer kako življenjem praktične mudrosti odgovoriti na pitanje načina ostvarenja interdisciplinarnog dijaloga. U zaključku se ističe važnost produbljivanja i širenja prisutnosti socijalnog nauka Crkve unutar šire stvarnosti akademske zajednice, ali i nužnost osvješćivanja činjenice da je upravo čovjek znanstvenik nošen transdisciplinarnim stavom glavni akter interdisciplinarnog projekta i promicatelj istinskoga ljudskog dobra u društvu.The main topic of this article is the issue of dialogue between theology and other sciences or, more specifically, the issue of determining the role and situating the social teaching of the Church within the interdisciplinary dialogue. The author begins by laying out two unavoidable premises of the contemporary context in which such a dialogue takes place. The first detects the substantial challenge to theology, posed by contemporary sciences and worldviews, which profess unlimited faith in sufficiency of scientific knowledge and technological development. Such faith is at odds with the theological vision that echoes the Christian revelation which, according to Benedict XVI., »presupposes a metaphysical interpretation of the \u27humanum\u27 in which relationality is as essential element« (Caritas in Veritate, n. 55) and which is necessary for promoting the integral human development. The second premise recognises the metaphysical truths and the truths of the transcendental and spiritual dimension of the human being as constituting the foundations of all scientific disciplines. The article aims to contribute to the interdisciplinary engagement among various disciplines by pointing towards the possibility of an intellectual synthesis and the necessity of adopting a set of foundational pre-conditions that would make such a synthesis achievable. Furthermore, the author raises the question whether the theological and social-ethical approach to the interdisciplinary dialogue should be seen as an obstacle or an incentive to such an intellectual synthesis, which is also an existential synthesis. The first part of the article discusses the recent re-discovery of inter-disciplinarity and dialogue, whose richness is revealed in a new search and need for a \u27strong\u27 interdisciplinary cooperation between scientists, philosophers, and theologians. In this sense, the interdisciplinarity is actually transdisciplinarity. In the second part of the article, the author discusses the interdisciplinary dimension of the social teaching of the Church, since one of the main epistemological concerns of this discipline is to establish an interdisciplinary dialogue with various levels of human knowledge and with the contemporary global and pluralistic society. The interdisciplinary dimension of the social teaching of the Church brings out the sapiential and transdisciplinary dimension of this discipline, which becomes even more important in the light of a general rediscovery of the practical wisdom as the basis of the overall interdisciplinary activity. Therefore, the last part of the article points to the research activity of Marijan Valković in order to give an example of how a life of practical wisdom can respond to the search for an adequate way of conducting an interdisciplinary dialogue. In the conclusion, the author emphasises the importance of an in-depth study and a stronger presence of the social teaching of the Church within the academia. Furthermore, she points out the necessity of becoming more aware of the fact that the main contribution to the interdisciplinary project and to what is truly good for the human person is expected from scientists committed to the transdisciplinary approach