Theology and Science: Their Difference as a Source of Interaction in Ethics

Abstract

The question of a relationship between theology and science in general (medical and life sciences in particular) could be answered in a variety of ways. The parameters of such a discussion are exceedingly large, such as not only to complicate the conceptual clarifications needed but to render conclusions impossible or at best remote or inconsequential. The very existence of a collection of articles as in this book is evidence of the possibility of asking such a question and the need to pass beyond the pragmatics of solving problems in an ad hoc fashion. However, both theology and science are nests of concepts. They are not simple logical systems; rather, they consist of knowledge with a complex history that is internally composed of a variety of details in need of clarification, and externally already related to each other such that posing the question of relationship requires a historical perspective as well as logical clarity.