Granì (Jul 2019)
The specificity of the relationship of religion and science in the religious and philosophical views of S. L. Frank
Abstract
The modern world of the third millennium is characterized by a high level of development of science and the next round of technical revolution. On the other hand, sociologists of religion fix a special social status of religion, which leaves the personal space and enters the public one. Both of these factors actualize the stated topic, stimulate a new look at the problem of the relationship between science and religion. The author of the article, relying on the historical-philosophical approach, analyzes the peculiarities of the relationship between religion and science through the prism of the views of the well-known religious intuition philosopher S.L. Frank. The analysis of the works of the thinker showed that the indicated topics are dispersed in different works of the philosopher. For example the problem of the relationship between science and religion is most concentrated in the treatise «Religion and Science» (1925), as well as in the report «Religion and Science in Modern Consciousness» (1926). Based on these and other sources, the tasks set by the philosopher, the main theses concerning the definition of religious faith, its manifestation (“miracle”, “supernatural”), as well as their scientific interpretation and the possibility of refutation were revealed. It was revealed that the philosopher approached the solution of the problem from the conceptual position of Christian theism, while not ignoring the logical-philosophical tools and data of the natural sciences. According to the thinker, an attempt to push science and religion together is not based on objective grounds and is exclusively an ideological insinuation of representatives of materialism and scientism. It is shown that from the point of view of Frank, science in principle cannot oppose religion because of the various tasks, goals and methodological indications on which these forms of the spiritual culture of humanity are based. And although some points of contact exist, however, they rather complement the scientific and religious worldview, rather than being in a position of conflict. Therefore, with a methodologically adequate approach, science and religion can harmoniously complement each other in the process of human cognition of the spiritual and material reality of the world.
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