The Niels Bohr’s complementarity principle and the Orthodox theological science

Abstract

Today in the educational community you can often hear statements about the Niels Bohr’s complementarity principle, that he had tried to explain by contradictions in quantum phenomena, that they can be the universal, upon which it is possible to construct an epistemological model of unity of scientific knowledge. Due to this, he raises the question about the place of complementarity principle in Orthodox theological science. In an article the A. presents some aspects of use the complementarity gnoseological principle to solve actual problems of theology, such as the theological understanding of creation of the world, man and construction of a dialogue between theological and natural sciences. In particular, the A. shows that the use of the complementarity idea for constructing an integral theology of creation finds its justification in the patristic tradition. The Holy Fathers, commenting on Genesis 1, often interpreted particulars of the creation, such as “heaven and earth”, “day of creation”, “image of God” differently. But they found wonderful unanimity in their understanding of the main theological ideas embodied in this sacred text. On the basis of the theology of creation, visible contradictions between the interpretation of these particulars are removed. The complementarity brings an opportunity to update theology in modern interpretations, which often boil down either to literalism or to allegorical interpretations, like concordism. Complementarity also makes it possible to resolve the contradictions between them. Whereas the subject of biblical and scientific cosmologies is space — created world, theology of creation can become a field where by the complementarity principle it is possible to connect theological and natural views about the world in an integral system.