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Science, Religion and Spirituality

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Abstract

Religion and spirituality is often contrasted with the scientific method and academic objectivity, also in organizational studies. However, as this chapter demonstrates, the linkages across religion and natural science are more complex than what the mainstream thinking assumes. Many notable scientists such as Isaac Newton have been motivated by theological or occult beliefs in their attempts to uncover the secrets and laws of the nature. Universities evolved from monastic schools and still embody religious symbolism. It can be argued that the scientific method is limited when it comes to the more fundamental questions. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the transcendental beliefs underlining the scientific theories of management and organizing , and a look into the original meaning of theoria in the ancient Greek philosophy as a metaphysical-theological alternative to the modernist pursuit of scientific knowledge .

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Correspondence to Tuomo Peltonen .

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Peltonen, T. (2017). Science, Religion and Spirituality. In: Spirituality and Religion in Organizing. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56312-1_3

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