Sola Scriptura and Sola Experientia: A Methodological Analogy between Religion and Science
Resource
哲學與文化, 35(6), 29-55
Journal
哲學與文化
Journal Volume
35
Journal Issue
6
Pages
29-55
Date Issued
2008
Date
2008
Author(s)
Abstract
This paper has a twofold intention. Apparently, it is about an analogy between science and religion. At a deeper level, it is about the growth of knowledge in general and science in particular. The deep intention will become explicit as the paper proceeds. It begins with an analysis of the nature of science and religion. The result of this analysis shows that science and religion can be respectively encapsulated by two pairs of concepts. The first pair is that of rationality and belief and the second that of experience and faith. We intend to stress that they differ in profundity as the second pair better captures the practical dimension of science and religion. Then, in the second section, the paper presumes that by referring to the idea of being empirical and being faithful, science and religion both demonstrated a position of foundationalism. Then in the third section we argue that science contains a foundational position claiming an empirical basis, whereas religion relies fundamentally on faith in Holy Scripture. This shared position is argued further by taking an example from the history of Reformation. We refer to the Protestant criticism of the Catholic Church claiming ”Sola Scriptura” (relying on the Holy Scripture alone) and the Jesuits' reactions to this claim. The paper attempts to show that an analogy (”Sola Experentia”) in the domain of science can be drawn from this historical example. We then move to the next section analyzing that the analogy contains a methodological function referring to the double-role of the ”foundation”. On the one hand, as both Scriptura” and ”Experientia” are empty ”foundations”, they can be filled with practically any idea. Yet, on the other hand, it is also due to this emptiness, the possibility of filling them with other contents remains open. This becomes obvious in the instance of science for the openness of pluralism is essential to its development. We finally move to the last section, explaining that Feyerabend's pluralistic methodology can be further elaborated by taking a practical and hence ”non-rational approach”. With this approach, the problem of incommensurability among theories before and after scientific revolutions is easily dissolved, not however on the philosophical basis, but on the empirical stance.
Type
journal article
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