Science and Religion in Meta-Perspective – Part I

Abstract

A meta-theory was developed that brought together implicit premises or world views that constantly re-surface in human thought. Although these elements, which are often referred to in the literature as the result of differences in human ‘temperament’, have long been part of the scholarly activity of humankind, a comprehensive synthesis has been lacking so far. In order to redress this shortcoming, an integrated perspective, supported by scholarly evidence, regarding basic characteristics of making sense of life and world is introduced. As a result four paradigmatic or root intellectual orientations (designated as type I, type II, type III and type IV) have been identified. The theory was found to be applicable across a wide range of thinkers, scholarly disciplines, and cultures. In the current paper (Part I) the framework is presented in terms of its main components and dynamics. Against this background the history of the science-religion interrelationship (hereafter also referred to as S-R) is briefly reviewed. Separate papers deal with objectivist tendencies (Part II), and with subjectivist manifestations in the S-R field (Part III).

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p1969