We are living in the information age and this has had an effect on both science and theology. Our understanding of the fundamental role of information has increased significantly. One can even say that information has become an overarching metaphor in the world of science. This dissertation gives an overview of the impact of the information-based scientific world-view on the dialogue between science and theology. The study investigates the metaphorical use of information concepts to secure a better understanding of God's action in the world and the role that information plays in the processes of life. The focus is on the role of biological information, and its relation to divine action is investigated. The scientific importance of information and the possible impact of information concepts on the science and theology dialogue of the future are discussed. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th.(Systematic Theology)

O debate no campo religioso sempre foi próspero nas possibilidades de construção de entendimento da sociedade, nas suas formas de estabelecerem sociabilidades, de interpretarem e/ou de refletirem a perspectiva de uma época. Na contemporaneidade brasileira temos a formulação destas dimensões aliadas a entrada de novos atores e instituições sociais. No caso deste trabalho, específico, a Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (IURD) tendo como seu maior representante e fundador o Bispo Edir Macedo, que desde a década de 1970 vem construindo e ampliando os espaços na vida religiosa brasileira. Presente dos diversos meios de comunicação, tendo na Record sua marca maior, percebe-se um discurso que ganha corpo pelo aumento significativo de fiéis. No entanto, o que mostrarmos neste trabalho não é a perspectiva de Igreja que se expande, para além, buscamos analisar o discurso iurdiano e suas implicações de natureza ético-jurídica, dos danos causados a fieis que não tiveram suas promessas cumpridas na lógica mercadológica de graças alcançadas em função de ritos e práticas ditadas pela IURD. Além das questões jurídicas cont extualizamos o contexto social que está inserido os discursos, os danos, mas, principalmente, sua lógica de ação. Isto implica não apenas tratar do aspecto mercadológico da fé, mas inserir esta prática num modelo de sociedade pautado em valores consumistas do qual os valores mais fundamentais se perdem em função das necessidades mais básicas e, principalmente, do respeito aos princípios éticos morais que norteiam a dignidade humana. / The debate in the religious field has always been successful in building possibilities of understanding of society, in its forms of sociability established to interpret and / or reflect the prospect of an era. In Brazilian contemporary formulation of these dimensions we have combined the entry of new actors and social institutions. In the case of this specific work, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) has as its most representative founder Bishop Macedo, who since the 1970s has been building and expanding the spaces in the Brazilian religious life. Gift of various media, ta king its greatest Record brand, one sees a speech that is embodied by the significant increase in believers. However, what we show in this paper is not the perspective of the expanding Church, we analyze the church speech and its implications for ethical and legal nature of the damage caused to the faithful who have not had their promises fulfilled in the marketing logic graces due rites and practices dictated by the UCKG. Besides the legal issues contextualize the social context that is inserted speeches, damage, but mainly its logical action. This implies not only deal with the marketing aspect of the faith, but to include this practice in a society model based on consumerist values which the most fundamental values are lost due to the most basic needs and, above all, respect for moral ethical principles that guide human dignity.

This research is a historical-exegetical analysis of Hegel’s reformulation of Kant’s regulative principle of teleology into a constitutive principle. Kant ascribes teleology to the faculty of reflective judgment where it is employed as a guide to regulate inquiry, but does not constitute actual knowledge. Hegel argues that if Kant made teleology into a constitutive principle then it would be a much more comprehensive theory capable of overcoming contingency in natural science, and hence, bridging the gap between natural science and theology. In this paper I argue that Hegel’s defense of the transition from natural science to theology is ultimately unsuccessful because it is built upon on an instinct of reason, which is the instinctive feature of human rationality to transition beyond the contingency remaining in our empirical understanding of nature, to a theological understanding of nature, in which all aspects of nature are necessarily related.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:12:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_luiz_carlos.pdf: 1371783 bytes, checksum: b22f09ed03a8b8b37d8f33c200b471dd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-02-08 / Religious liberty is a fundamental right of the human person, within reason, constitutional dignity prescribes the biggest law of our country. It understands the right of choice or to adhere to a belief or religion. On the other hand, the Brazilian State, that is secular, also by express constitutional determination, should garantee him of that right. However, what happens in some situations, some truths supported by the church, and, consequently by, his followers, this clashes with others fundamental rights, such as the life, the citizenship and the dignity of the human person. The most famous cases involve those that involve the interruption of the pregnancy for anencephalic fetuses and euthanasia/ortothanasia. This thesis analyze the behavior of the Justice System when faced with these situations, the influence of the religious convictions of the magistrate, the pressures exercised by the Church and by the public's social movements regarding human rights and, in the end, build a rational discussion regarding the relationship between science (law) and religion / A liberdade religiosa é direito fundamental da pessoa humana, de dignidade constitucional, conforme preceitua a lei maior de nosso país. Compreende o direito de escolher ou de aderir a uma crença ou religião. Por outro lado, o Estado Brasileiro, que é laico, também por expressa determinação constitucional, tem o dever de garantir o livre exercício desse direito. Acontece que, em algumas situações, verdades sustentadas pelas Igrejas e, consequentemente, por seus seguidores, entram em rota de colisão com outros direitos fundamentais da pessoa humana, tais como a vida, a cidadania e a dignidade da pessoa humana. Os casos mais conhecidos são aqueles que envolvem a interrupção da gravidez para fetos anencefálicos e eutanásia/ortotanásia. O trabalho analisa o comportamento do Judiciário diante dessas situações, a influência das convicções religiosas do magistrado, as pressões exercidas pelas Igrejas e pelos movimentos sociais de promoção e defesa dos direitos humanos, bem como, ao final, constrói um discurso racional que permite uma relação dialógica, mais equilibrada entre a ciência (jurídica) e a religião

Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:12:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 valtemir_ramos_guimaraes.pdf: 778867 bytes, checksum: abdad5727611775ccbcae54e9efaaf40 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-10-23 / This paper aims, in general, at analyzing the Biblical Fundamentalism socioreligious phenomenon, since its origin, within the ninetieth century Northamerican Protestantism, until our days which we observe in its Fundamentalism´s strong presence, overall in the Protestantism´s inner life. Paradoxically, in spite of all scientific and technological advancement that is observed in these recent last years, which have given beginning to the twenty first century, Fundamentalism has grown up in all so-called Book Religions: Judaism, Christianism and Islamism. And this is not true only in the religious circles, but also in other society sectors, including the political ones. Regarding to the Biblical Fundamentalism, present in protestant communities, we can observe positive and negative aspects which will be properly analyzed throughout this work. In this perspective, we have tried researching the Fundamentalism´s assumptions, development and dissemination, since its origin within American Protestantism in the late ninetieth century in order to understand its socioreligious implications for the present days. The applied methodology consists of studies and researches, departing from specialized bibliography, based on the academic environment in History, Sociology, Anthropology, Theology, Exegesis and Biblical Hermeneutics area, departathing from protestant and catholic authors who transit thoughout the Sciences concerning Religion epistemological field. Departing from pertinent informations regarding to the present time, we acknowledge that the Biblical Fundamentalism has grown and impacted, day after day, in the ecclesiastical environment which is evident in its praxis in Brazil and in the world. We may conclude that this studies subject reflectes in the relationships concerning family, the communities and society, amid the challenges regarding to the modernity in crises. / Esta Dissertação tem, como objetivo geral, analisar o fenômeno sociorreligioso do Fundamentalismo bíblico, desde sua origem, no seio do Protestantismo norte-americano do século XIX, até os nossos dias, em que se observa sua forte presença, sobretudo no seio do Protestantismo. Paradoxalmente, apesar de todo avanço científico e tecnológico que se observa nestes últimos anos, que deram início ao século XXI, o Fundamentalismo tem crescido em todas as culturas das chamadas Religiões do Livro: Judaísmo, Cristianismo e Islamismo. E não apenas nos meios religiosos, mas em outros setores da sociedade, inclusive nos meios políticos. No que tange ao Fundamentalismo Bíblico presente em comunidades protestantes, observam-se aspectos positivos e negativos, que serão devidamente analisados ao longo deste trabalho. Para tanto, procuramos investigar os pressupostos, desenvolvimento e difusão do Fundamentalismo, desde suas origens no seio do Protestantismo norte-americano no Século XIX, a fim de se compreender suas implicações sociorreligiosas para a atualidade. A metodologia aplicada consta de estudos e pesquisas em bibliografia especializada proveniente do ambiente acadêmico na área de História, Sociologia, Antropologia, Teologia, Exegese e Hermenêutica bíblica, de autores protestantes e católicos, que transitam no campo epistemológico das Ciências da Religião. Com informações pertinentes para a atualidade, reconhecemos que o Fundamentalismo Bíblico tem crescido e impactado no dia-a-dia no meio eclesial, onde é evidente a sua práxis no Brasil e no mundo. Concluímos que o assunto estudado se reflete nas relações familiares, comunitárias e, sociais, em meio aos desafios da modernidade em crise.

This dissertation explores how emerging understandings of science and religion impacted the formation of the modern field of literature in Japan. I argue that many modern Japanese writers “enchanted” literature, giving it a metaphysical value that they thought might stand firm in the face of modernity’s “disenchantment of the world,” to use the famous phrase of Max Weber. To do so, writers leveraged new anti-materialistic, pantheistic, and mystical ontologies that emerged around the globe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in philosophy, theology, and new fields of knowledge like religious studies. These worldviews were appealing alternatives to “religion,” which many Japanese intellectuals understood mainly as orthodox forms of Christianity and Buddhism, and which had been widely rejected by the early twentieth century under the influence of new scientific and historical hermeneutics. At the same time though, influential voices in the emerging critical discourse of Japanese literature were skeptical of purely materialistic accounts of reality and especially of art, turning instead to new notions of the spirit, the ideal, and the transcendental. I argue that the foundations of literary value and of the social position of the author in modern Japan are rooted in these new ideas about what might be experienced and represented outside the bounds of both scientific materialism and traditional religious dogma. The texts I examine consist of literary and aesthetic treatises, debates on philosophical and theological issues, and biographical and fictional works, all of which were pivotal to the theorization of Japanese literature and the artist, ranging from early efforts in the 1890s and extending through the tumultuous first half of the 20th century. The first chapter of my dissertation explores how canonical writers like Kitamura Tōkoku (1868–1894), Mori Ōgai (1862–1922), and Natsume Sōseki (1867–1916) wove emerging theories of religion and reality into their view of the capacity of poetry and fiction in the 1890s and 1900s. I show how their idea of the genius, or, drawing from Thomas Carlyle, of the “hero,” ascribed to the modern author the same capacity to perceive beyond the five senses as that identified in the prophets of the world religions. This understanding was based on a shared premise that religious texts were products not of divine revelation, but of a universal, non-empirical type of experience of the “inner heart,” the “ideal,” or the “World-soul,” defined as the essence of the world’s religions yet untethered to any one religious faith and fully accessible to the modern genius. The second chapter argues that similar ideas penetrated notions of the modern novel and the author through the early 1910s. A new generation of young writers who launched their careers after Japan’s victory in the Russo-Japanese War, including Yanagi Muneyoshi (1889–1961) and Mushanokōji Saneatsu (1885–1976), imagined Japanese artists as equal members of a global community of artists by identifying universal truths and beauty as the object of all art, religion, and science. In justifying the universal nature of art, writers argued that figures from Tolstoy to Rodin, and from Jesus to the Buddha, were all engaged in the same creative process. I show that these views provided a basis for Japanese authors to claim equality with their Western counterparts, just as it allowed prominent Japanese feminist Hiratsuka Raichō (1886–1971) to claim equality with male writers, since both nationality and gender were seen as unrelated to one’s ability to experience and represent the non-material aspects of reality. Similar views of art were employed to imagine the sociopolitical role of the writer within Japan. The third chapter begins with analysis of two leftist intellectuals, Kōtoku Shūsui (1871–1911) and Ōsugi Sakae (1885–1923), who were both eventually killed for their political activity. Both argued that myths, defined by them as both as religious texts and the great works of modern artists, could lead to individual enlightenment, bringing moral clarity for Kōtoku and a new means of experiencing reality for Ōsugi, thus creating the type of subject that could spark political change. Aristocrats Yanagi and Mushanokōji were unsympathetic with the left, but I argue that these two writers similarly attempted to repurpose religious texts to affect social change. By following in the footsteps of the mystics and prophets of the past, while also never directly addressing the existence of the supernatural, they believed that they could create change while also avoiding the pitfalls of religion. I argue that each of these writers drew from religious traditions in their definition of the author’s continuing social and political legitimacy in the midst of the rapid expansion of both leftist movements and of Japanese imperial power in the 1910s and ‘20s. In the fourth chapter, I argue that across his career, writer Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (1892–1927) balanced a critique of traditional religion with an interest in non-religious forms of spiritual experience. Akutagawa cast the Christian Church as a colonial organization concerned with accumulating power, yet at the same time drew on the transnational discourse connecting the supernatural to both psychological disorder and to the colonial idea of “primitivity” in order to create ambiguous portrayals of inexplicable experiences and phenomena. Akutagawa also identifies the possibility for “poetic” literature to open the door to a type of extraordinary experience described almost exclusively in religious language, which I argue also influenced his own experiments with aphoristic writing. This chapter provides a new understanding of this canonical author’s views of religious experience and of literature, while also positioning his work as one part of a discursive current with deep roots in modern Japan and across the globe. In the epilogue, I consider the afterlife of these currents in the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. I first discuss how the metaphysical and aesthetic positions analyzed in previous chapters laid the groundwork for some authors to shift toward support for the Japanese state’s embrace of authoritarianism and colonialism. However, even if the emphasis on intuitive knowledge and the deeds of heroic individuals within these forms of knowledge led some towards right-wing politics, the fictional and critical texts of Ishikawa Jun (1899–1987) written in this period provide an excellent example of an alternative path. In Ishikawa’s work, traditional Buddhism and Christianity are objects of incessant yearning, representing an absolute moral and conceptual authority that no longer exists in the grimy wartime and postwar reality. But I argue that parallel to his critique of absolutism, Ishikawa’s characters continue to yearn for something more, and Ishikawa himself identifies a potential for salvation within literature. Ishikawa’s work shows that the idea of an enchanted potentiality within writing continued to undergird literary discourse in Japan even in the face of the massive sociopolitical upheaval of WWII.

This dissertation investigates the ways scientific and biotechnological advancement impact and change Jewish law and ethics. It analyzes the contemporary Jewish bioethical debate concerning the identification of maternity and paternity in four cases of assisted reproductive technologies (ART): in vitro fertilization, gestational surrogacy, cloning, and mitochondrial replacement therapy. Unprecedented modes of procreation engender new definitions of parenthood, challenging a longstanding Jewish framework of theology, law, and ethics. Part I develops a conceptual scaffolding for the discrete analyses of Part II, and considers the philosophical bases of parenthood, the gendered nature of Jewish legal bioethics, the relationship of law and ethics, and ways of relating religion and science. For each case of ART, Part II examines the biological science and technology in historical context, locates Jewish bioethical concerns within the larger bioethical discussion, and critically reviews the epistemological and axiological dimensions of the legally oriented analyses of a select group of leading Jewish bioethicists, chosen for their copious writings on ART and contextualizing oeuvres: Rabbi J. David Bleich, Rabbi Michael J. Broyde, Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, and the collaborative writings of Dr. John D. Loike and Rabbi Moshe D. Tendler. Insights from Jewish feminist bioethical criticism and other notable Jewish bioethical works enhance the analyses. Through a focused study of the redefinition of parenthood in Jewish law and bioethics, I demonstrate four ways in which advances in science impact Jewish law and ethics. One, scientific awareness leads to greater sophistication and nuance of analysis. Two, Jewish bioethicists grapple with religion and science relations, and speak directly to these overarching considerations. Three, the epistemological and axiological influence of religion and science relations correlate with greater openness to new technologies, theoretical conceptualizations, and their practical applications. Four, advances in science change Jewish legal and bioethical analyses and outcomes through (at least) four possible methodological mechanisms – namely, theoretic holism, innovative interpretation, indeterminate gaps, and realist realignment. Jewish bioethics are thus shown to illumine the intricate interrelationship between religion and science and its impact on Jewish law and ethics.

This essay aims to contribute to the field of religious education in Sweden by analyzing how three Swedish textbooks frame the topic of ‘religion and science’. By using content analysis as an analytic tool and framing theory, the essay examines how the relationship between religion and science is framed. Furthermore the essay analyze the didactic implications of the framing, using Johan Wickström’s ‘didactic text competence criteria’.   The contribution of the content analysis lies in its ability to reveal the framing of the relationship between religion and science within the material of the study and how the frames are constructed. The second part of analysis, through Wickström's 'didactic text competence criteria,' offers a critical examination that delves deeper into the complexities of the identified frameworks from a pedagogical perspective. The outcome of the critical analysis led to the conclusion that the identified frames could be perceived as problematic concerning the objectives and goals of education, as well as scientific principles and considerations for students. Furthermore, this study serves as a practical demonstration of how Wickström's criteria can serve as an analytical tool, while also underscoring its inherent limitations.

Contemporary developments in cognitive neuroscience are having a profound impact on the philosophy of mind as philosophers work to understand the implications of these advances for appreciating what it means to be a human person. At the same time, a recent consensus has formed among contemporary theologians around the thesis that Jesus Christ is the revelation of what it means to be truly human. Unfortunately, very few thinkers have made any concerted effort to bring these two developments into dialogue with one another. This study addresses this lack by drawing on the anthropological insights of Karl Barth and bringing them to bear on certain aspects of the contemporary discussions regarding the mind/brain relationship. The thesis thus comprises two major sections. The first develops an understanding of Karl Barth’s theological anthropology focusing on three major facets: (1) the centrality of Jesus Christ for any real understanding of human persons; (2) the resources that such a christologically determined view of human nature has for engaging in interdisciplinary discourse; and (3) the ontological implications of this approach for understanding the mind/body relationship. The second part of the study then draws on this theological foundation to consider the implications that understanding human nature christologically has for analyzing and assessing several prominent ways of explaining the mind/body relationship. This study, then, is an exercise in understanding the nature of a christocentric anthropology and its implications for understanding human ontology. While it will devote significant attention to the theology of Karl Barth and various contemporary philosophers of mind, its fundamental aim is to draw together these apparently disparate fields of inquiry by engaging both theology and philosophy in a vital dialogue on the nature of the human person as revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Existem diferentes formas de debater e analisar o relacionamento entre ciência e religião. Neste trabalho, apresentamos algumas possibilidades e utilizamos a abordagem da história das ciências como um recurso interessante para tratar o tema no ensino de ciências. Esta pesquisa foi construída a partir da preocupação com o aumento de casos de intolerância religiosa e de outros vieses, e seu impacto na sala de aula, possivelmente causados por diversos tipos de fundamentalismo observados em nossa sociedade. A existência de diferentes episódios históricos que relacionam ciência e religião de forma contextualizada e transcendente a apenas um conflito permitiu o desenvolvimento deste projeto. Acreditamos que comportamentos intolerantes podem gerar uma dissonância cognitiva em estudantes, por exemplo, que professam uma fé religiosa e observam sua visão de mundo ser menosprezada ou ridicularizada em aulas de ciência. Consideramos que a apresentação e discussão de episódios históricos, em que ciência e religião não eram conflitantes para diferentes cientistas ou filósofos naturais, pode reduzir esse obstáculo, criando um ambiente favorável para pautar conteúdos de ciência. Ademais, ações intolerantes desrespeitam as prerrogativas atuais voltadas para a promoção de uma educação para os direitos humanos e para a valorização da interculturalidade. Uma revisão bibliográfica indicou a necessidade de construção de materiais e estratégias para a discussão de relações entre ciência e religião na sala de aula. A partir disso, elaboramos uma narrativa histórica que pode oferecer subsídios para pautar o tema na formação de professores, além de uma proposta em que reunimos diferentes episódios da história das ciências para um debate diversificado e plural. Num trabalho majoritariamente teórico, utilizamos as metodologias de análise documental e bibliográfica, além da análise de conteúdo para a otimização e avaliação da revisão de artigos selecionados. Diferentes resultados foram obtidos no trabalho. A revisão bibliográfica pôde mapear os tipos de publicação desenvolvidas nos últimos anos e apontar caminhos para o desenvolvimento do tema no ensino de ciências. Seguindo uma dessas trilhas, propusemos um curso envolvendo diferentes momentos e personagens históricos que reúnem diversos aspectos sobre a origem e o desenvolvimento do Universo, a partir de pesquisas voltadas ao ensino de ciências. Apresentamos uma narrativa sobre aspectos da obra de Isaac Newton, que pode ser utilizada em um desses momentos propostos. Buscamos, assim, oferecer alguns subsídios para uma sensibilização dos professores a respeito do direto à crença dos estudantes, pautando contextos de diferentes âmbitos e nuances sociais que influenciam o desenvolvimento do pensamento científico. Pretendemos que essa ação reverbere e que diferentes aspectos da natureza da ciência possam ser debatidos na formação de professores. / There are many different forms of debating and analyzing the relationship between science and religion. In this project, we present some of these possibilities and also apply the approach of the history of the sciences as an interesting resource to deal with this subject in the sciences teaching. This research was developed from the concern of the increase of cases of religious intolerance and other types of intolerance, align to its impact on the classroom, possibly caused by a variety of fundamentalism that can be seen in our society. The existence of different historical episodes that associate science and religion in a contextualized and transcendent way to only one conflict allowed the development of this project. We believe that intolerant behaviors may generate cognitive dissonance in students, for example, ones who profess a religious faith and watch their worldview be disregarded or ridiculed in the sciences classes. We consider that the presentation and discussion of historical episodes, in which for different scientists or natural philosophers the science and religion were not in conflict, can reduce this obstacle, creating a favorable environment for guiding science content. Besides, intolerant actions disrespect the existing prerogatives focused on the promotion of an education for human rights and for the valorization of the interculturality. A bibliographical review indicated the need to develop material and strategies for the discussion of relations between science and religion in the classroom. From this, we elaborate a historical narrative that can offer subsidies to guide this subject in teachers training. Besides, a proposal in which we collected different episodes of the history of the sciences for a diverse and plural debate. In this mostly theoretical project, we apply the methodologies of bibliographic analysis and document analysis, in addition to the content analysis for the optimization and evaluation of the review of selected articles. Different results have been obtained in this study. The bibliographical review was able to map the types of publications developed in recent years, pointing out ways to develop the theme in science teaching. Following one of these paths, based on a research focused on science teaching, we proposed a course involving different moments and historical characters that bring together several aspects about the origin and development of the Universe. We present a narrative about aspects of the Isaac Newton\'s work, which can be applied in one of these proposed moments. We seek to offer some subsidies for teachers\' awareness of the students\' right to belief, guiding contexts of different scopes and social nuances that influence the development of scientific thinking. We intended to have this action reverberated and that different aspects of the nature of science can be discussed into teacher\'s education.