Theological Loci in Science and Methodology of Scientific Cognition

Abstract

The article is devoted to the existence of theological aspects in science and methods of scientific research. To describe these aspects, we use the concept of theological dimension, which was introduced by the Spanish theologian Melchior Cano(1509-1560) in the 16th century. He argued that natural reason, or scientific rationality, represents the so-called theological dimension. In contrast, internal theological dimensions are attributed to sacred scriptures, traditions, the activities of churches, ecumenical councils and authoritative texts of ancient saints. External dimensions include science and philosophy, along with history. In the twentieth century, Melchior's ideas were re-evaluatedwhen a full-scale dialogue between science and theology began and became necessary in terms of external dimensions. The author seeks to establish whether scientific method is a theological place, considering, in particular, G. Shchedrovitsky's methodological circle of the second half of the 20th century and M.M. Bakhtin's conceptual approaches. Also, the article proposes and substantiates the term"theological habit" to characterize the religious aspects of scientific theory.