“Domine ut Videam” (Lord, that I may see) "Faith without reason is blind; reason without Faith is lame," thus goes a maxim introduced to me by Ka Abe Tuibeo. In an article entitled Science, Philosophy, Religion (In Romualdo Abulad and Alfredo Co (eds.), Two Filipino Thomasian Philosophers on Postmodernism (Manila: UST Press, 2004), pp. 150-178) Br. Romualdo Abulad journeys unto the realms of these three vast spheres, not just of knowledge, but so too, of human experience. Oftentimes, and this is what we call “normal,” humanity is divided between these three seemingly contradictory views on human existence. Science, being the only valid source of truth about life; philosophy, as the past time of the elite who has nothing to do and so is worthless too; and religion, which is the source of all corruption of the Truth and is full of myths – this is what we conceive of these three “normally.” Br. Abulad, on the other hand, does not agree. The thesis of the article is that: “Science presupposes a scientific consciousness. This scientific consciousness… is what is common in all sciences. Where they differ is in their object.” That is, there is a meeting point in philosophy, religion and science, they only differ in their ends. This “scientific consciousness” is not just compounded on the province of cold empiricism and data that our modern conception of a scientist gives us. Rather, as Husserl puts it, Bewusstsein von Etwas, consciousness is always a consciousness of something. This consciousness is not just a consciousness of something observable. Scientific knowledge, thus, is the consciousness of the whole Truth – physical and metaphysical – in Hegel’s words: Wahre ist das Ganze (The truth is the whole), i.e. to be scientific is not to be scientistic (compounded only on empirical science as if it is the only fountain of truth) but to embrace the whole – to recognize the achievement both of science (e.g. the natural sciences) and that of religion. Society must accept that science is not the only glass wherein man can look over the world – there are other glasses out there! Martin Heidegger, the great German Philosopher, said that Truth is aletheia that is, "uncovering". In the Truth, you uncover something, you let it stand naked amidst the cold observation of everyone in the room. Both science and religion aims for this aletheia. Both disciplines would like to strip things of their clothes and reveal what really is hidden inside. In this, both science and religion agree. What, then, is philosophy’s role? Philosophy has always been a “handmaid,” Br. Abulad would say in the article, and again she is called to be – a handmaid for the interconnection of religion and science through her criticality of both. Sure, this is a hard task for the philosopher, he might even meet his death with it, but again Veritas liberabit vos! (The Truth will set you free!). The philosopher must always be the "devil's advocate" - always critical to what science and religion says. When either disciplines begins to impose dogmas (of course, religion has to teach dogmas) philosophy must be able to question these in order not to destabilize religion or science but to strengthen their position. Without philosophy's razor, the hairs of either science or religion might become too long that they will become Rapunzels trapped in their own ivory towers. In our age characterized as "Post-Truth", that is, the Truth no longer matters only emotions - Facts were no longer heeded only opinions of the highest paid trolls and reason is no longer the sign of sophistication but brutal remarks and ad hominem arguments of popular politicians and their trolls - what then is faith, science and philosophy's role? I argue that these three must once again see their commonality, that is the "Scientific consciousness", and use this awareness to safeguard the Truth and remain a witness to it in a world so allergic to it. After all, in this aletheia, science sees the Truth as its goal, philosophy as its sole reason of being, and religion as its Christ (didn't Christ said that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life?). |
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September 2018
"There is only one corner in the universe that you can be certain of improving and that's your own Self" |