Natural Theology Research Articles

The Renewed Christocentric Synthesis in Joseph Ratzinger’s Logos-centric Symphony

This article aims to present Joseph Razinger’s Christocentric approach to the question of the relation between faith and reason. Modernity introduces the separation between faith and reason, which results in the limitation of reason and the subordination of logos to ethos. This disunity, however, between faith and reason and the primacy of the ethos over logos affects the nature and mission of theology. In contrast to the loss of the integrative harmony between faith and reason, Joseph Ratzinger argues for the distinction and unity between faith and reason built upon the primacy of logos and a Christocentric approach. The author also intends to prove that although Ratzinger describes his theology as “fragmentary” and “incomplete,” he has gifted the Church with a renewed theological symphony that flourishes only in conjunction with the gift of faith working in concert with reason. In Ratzinger’s view only faith can enable reason to overcome the self-imposed limitation developed by modern thinkers such as Immanuel Kant. Finally, the article will demonstrate that the crowning achievement of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI’s theology is the recognition of the primacy of love as embodied by the saints who are witnesses of the transformative power of knowing and loving Jesus, the Incarnate Logos.

Eric Mascall and the making of an Anglican Thomist, 1937–1945

Abstract This article examines the early career of E. L. (Eric) Mascall, Anglican Catholic priest, theologian and philosopher of religion, late of Christ Church Oxford and King’s College London. Mascall spent the years between 1937 and 1945 teaching at Lincoln Theological College, in a time of acute political and intellectual unsettlement and (in due course) world war. Mascall rebelled against the previously dominant liberalism of the 1930s while also rejecting both Barthian Protestantism and certain currents in Orthodox theology, both of which were products of the same turmoil. The article documents his turn instead to the natural theology of Thomas Aquinas, and examines both its sources and its particular articulation in Mascall’s work. Even though relatively few in England followed Mascall down this particular path, his formation in the 1930s and 1940s reveals much about the temper of the moment.

Patani Scholars' Views on Tawassul with the Prophet and Righteous: Analysis of Abd al-Qadir bin Wangah's Risalah Irsyad Al-Jawiyīn

This study explores the theological concept of Tawassul in the Islamic tradition of the Nusantara region, focusing on Patani scholars' perspectives, particularly in Abd al-Qadir bin Haji Wangah Sela Budi Sekam Fatani's manuscript "Risalah Irsyad Al-Jawiyiin Ili Sabilil Al-Ulama' Al-‘Amilin." The manuscript's context is set in a period of theological debates between the Salaf and Khalaf schools, addressing Quranic interpretations, Hadith studies, and practices like Tawassul. The qualitative research methodology involves transcribing the original Jawi script into the Roman alphabet, translating it into English, and performing a detailed textual analysis. This approach aims to uncover the nuances of Tawassul, as discussed in the manuscript, making it accessible to a broader audience.The study reveals Tuan Guru Haji Abd al-Qadir's in-depth discourse on Tawassul, particularly relating to Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu’ alaihi wasallam and other righteous individuals. It underscores the permissibility and varied forms of Tawassul, reflecting the intricate layers of Islamic jurisprudence and cultural practices in the Nusantara region. The manuscript offers significant insights into the diversity of Islamic thought within the Nusantara region. It bridges historical theological discourse with contemporary religious practices, enriching the understanding of Tawassul's role in Islamic worship and spirituality. The study situates Tuan Guru Haji Abd al-Qadir's perspectives within broader Islamic theological discussions, highlighting the dynamic and interpretive nature of Islamic theology.

Readings on Evolution and the Nature of Science: One Christian’s Perspective

Readings on Evolution and the Nature of Science: One Christian’s Perspective

The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven and the Differences in Concerns between Chinese and Western Thinking

The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven is a book recording the idea-exchange between the Catholic missionaries and Confucians in the Ming Dynasty. In understanding the book, it demands as the background the knowledge of the western history in thought behind Matteo Ricci’s mind-set, such as natural theology, Aristotle’s philosophy, and the Protestant theology. With this consideration in mind, we have traced Ricci’s appealing to the way of logical arguments in demonstrating the existence of God, which presents Catholic dogma as a philosophy. In this way, Ricci became ignored of the development of Chinese thought regarding the issues of arche, essence, and good-evil. Indeed, Chinese thinkers have engaged profoundly in these issues and proposed various solutions which invite thinkers to engage in sentimental appreciation. Ricci’s ignorance of these efforts results in blocking his understanding of Chinese thought at a deeper level. My analyses of the dialogue in the book show that this historical exchange of ideas stays only at a superficial phrase.

Behind the eye: Donald M. MacKay and the 1986 Glasgow Gifford Lectures

The 1986 Gifford Lectures were delivered by Donald M. MacKay, Emeritus Professor of Communication and Neuroscience at Keele University. The ten lectures were later turned into a book titled Behind the Eye. This paper, in our series on notable Gifford Lectures, provides a summary of MacKay's arguments as they relate to natural theology, along with some critical comments.

In the Beginning Was the Wort: A New Natural Theology of Meaning for Ecological Catastrophe

This paper builds upon a recent corpus of popular science that has elevated previously unsung members of the biosphere—“worts.” It argues that the corpus constitutes a new natural theology, a search for meaning in the biosphere, and suggests a theological underpinning to what its authors intuit: that worts give meaning. To do this, the paper draws on Eduardo Kohn’s How Forests Think (2013) and its examination of meaning as a ubiquitous feature of the multispecies ecosystem. Following on from Kohn, two key arguments are made. First, Kohn’s posthuman anthropology is compatible with a Thomist treatment of organisms in terms of their distinct, life-orientated telos. Second, the current context of potential human extinction puts a life-orientated telos in a new light, reviving the validity of teleological thinking. Sharing the fate of nonhuman subjects, rather than treating them as scientific objects, authors and readers of the new natural theology find meaning among worts.

Neurology Meets Theology: Charles Sherrington’s Gifford Lectures Then and Now

Charles Scott Sherrington (1857–1952) is widely acclaimed as the most important neurophysiologist in history. He became a legend in his own time, coined the term “synapse”, and in 1932 received the Nobel Prize in medicine for his discoveries on the function of neurons. By the time he presented the Gifford Lectures 1937–38, he represented the best that science had to offer on behalf of the relationship of the mind to the natural world. The lectures, including one never publicly presented, were published as Man on His Nature (1941). Here neurology meets theology at the busy and often treacherous intersection of science and religion. Examining Sherrington’s views in some detail, the standard rendering of Sherrington as a theist cannot be sustained by their contents; he ends up as at least a humanist and perhaps an atheist. Views by neurologists and philosophers of mind some seventy to eighty years later are compared and contrasted with Sherrington’s. Although expectations of a materialist/reductionist answer to the mind/body problem have not been realized, neuroscientist Raymond Tallis appears as a parallel figure to Sherrington: both are clearly naturalistic humanists. A theistic response is presented addressing the mind/body problem from a hylomorphic process theology perspective, along with some comments regarding natural theology in general. In the end, this essay has two complementary aims: (1) to relocate Sherrington’s neurotheology—if it can be called that—in a more appropriate historiographical category; and (2) to offer a viable answer to the mind/body problem.

God and suffering in Africa: An exploration in natural theology and philosophy of religion

God and suffering in Africa: An exploration in natural theology and philosophy of religion

The Rationality of Faith: Examining Arguments for the Existence of God in the Light of Islamic Teachings

A theist believes there is a God, an atheist believes there is no God, an agnostic is unsure if there is a God or not. This study focuses on the Islamic perspective, aiming to explore the rationality of faith by examining arguments for the existence of God within the context of Islamic teachings. The research delves into the rich tapestry of Islamic thought, drawing from the Holy Qur'an, Hadith (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad), and the works of prominent Islamic scholars such as Imam Ghazali and Allama Iqbal. Through a comprehensive analysis, the study evaluates various arguments, such as teleological, cosmological, personal spiritual experiences, and moral arguments, as they appear in Islamic thought. These arguments are scrutinized through the lens of reason, logic, and critical thinking while acknowledging the intrinsic interplay between faith and reason in Islamic tradition. The research identifies the significance of faith as a powerful force in human nature, not immune to challenges and doubts. To address these concerns, the study explores how Islamic teachings embrace both intellectual and experiential aspects, providing a harmonious integration of intellect, emotions, and spirituality in the pursuit of faith. Furthermore, the study examines some common challenges to faith in the modern scientific age considering the role of revelation and natural theology in bolstering the rational foundations of faith. It also investigates the concept of personal experience and intuitive encounters with the divine, acknowledging their importance in strengthening one's belief in God. By examining arguments within the context of Islamic teachings, this study contributes to the broader discourse on faith's rationality, offering valuable insights into the intellectual and spiritual dimensions of the human journey in seeking a connection with the divine.

Natural Theology and Neo-Confucianism in Timothy Richard and Ren Tingxu’s Translation of Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man

Voltaire praised Alexander Pope’s poem, An Essay on Man, as a magnificent and profound philosophical work that garnered widespread popularity and had a significant impact. It was believed that the poem’s philosophical concepts were influenced by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who drew inspiration from Jesuit writings and regarded Neo-Confucianism as China’s “natural theology”. In December 1897, Yan Fu translated six lines from Pope’s poem into Chinese as a part of his translation of Tianyan lun. Subsequently, Timothy Richard and Ren Tingxu collaborated for five months to translate An Essay on Man into Chinese, known as Tianlun shi (A Poem of Heavenly Ethics), which was published in mid-summer 1898. This Chinese translation became the first extensive Western poem to be translated into Chinese. It consisted of four parts, with over 1300 lines in its original form and approximately 17,200 Chinese characters in translation. Ren rendered Pope’s heroic couplets into a quatrain-style Chinese poem. The term “Tianlun” (Heavenly Ethic) was derived from Young John Allen’s theory, which aimed to supplement Confucian ethics by illustrating the “man and heaven” (or “man and God”) relationship. The poem successfully intertwined Christian and Confucian ideas, harmoniously blending the two discourses of natural theology and Neo-Confucianism. Ren’s literary embellishments played a significant role in this remarkable achievement. Richard and Ren’s translation of the poem served various purposes, including introducing Western knowledge to China and promoting political reform.

Kant’s Philosophy of Language of Philosophy: On Philosophical Terminology

Abstract Among the passages which are suggestive of a philosophy of language in Kant’s writings are his remarks and arguments on appropriate terminology for philosophical concepts. I ask what it is for Kant that makes some words more suitable than others. I reconstruct the arguments from the Inquiry concerning the distinctness of the principles of natural theology and morality (1764) and the Critique of Pure Reason (1781/1787) that defend that there is no such thing as a proper, real definition for philosophical concepts (only nominal definition and exposition); in addition, philosophical concepts are only represented by terms in abstracto, not in concreto. On these grounds, in the Inquiry, Kant sustains that the reference of a term to a philosophical concept is ultimately sanctioned by the term’s ‘linguistic usage’ (Redegebrauch). I argue that this is the basis for Kant’s criterion in the Critique of Pure Reason of employing traditional terminology, words from ordinary language, or even words from extinct languages, to refer to philosophical concepts, and for his rejection of coining new terms – even for distinctly new philosophical thoughts.

Shared intentionality and divine persons: explorations in empirical psychology and ramified natural theology

Shared intentionality and divine persons: explorations in empirical psychology and ramified natural theology

The God of Chance and Purpose: Divine Involvement in a Secular Evolutionary World

The God of Chance and Purpose: Divine Involvement in a Secular Evolutionary World

Toward a Natural Theology of Abundance: Reorientation to a Sacramental Reality

This paper presents the Christian incorporation and transformation of the philosophical understanding of the relation between the material and immaterial. This transformation centers on the Incarnation of Christ, which changes both the relation or contact between the material and immaterial realms, and human knowledge concerning the immaterial divine presence in material reality. More than a descriptive, historical account, the paper is primarily a conceptual presentation that retrieves the historically early thought of Irenaeus of Lyons and Athanasius of Alexandria to argue for a theological account of sacramental reality. Drawing on the metaphysical function of sacraments—themselves “visible signs of invisible grace”—which convey that there is more to material reality than meets the eye, I argue that this “more” implies what I call “a theology of abundance” that pertains to the whole of created reality, in the abundant nature of creation and of the human being in particular, and especially apparent in human knowing. The implication of such a theology of abundance is a comprehensive reorientation of human being, knowing, and expression in response to the invisible presence of the divine in visible, sacramental reality.

칸트의 『자연지리학』에 대한 시론적 연구

With the recent discussion of cosmopolitanism, interest in Kant’s geography is gradually growing. In the history of geography, Kant’s concept of space has been treated as important since a long time ago, but there were not many discussions about the contents of his Physical Geography (Physische Geographie) lectures and edited posthumously edited textbook. Therefore, the direction of reconsideration of Kant’s geography was suggested from the following several points of view. First, this study interpreted the meaning of David Harvey’s critique of Kant’s geography as an example. Harvey’s criticism of ‘geographical racism’ is meaningful in that it actively examines the geographical perspective as well as the anthropological and sociological criticism of Kant’s critical philosophy. Second, Kant’s Physical Geography and Anthropology from a Practical Perspective (Anthropologie in Pragmatischer Hinsicht) were compared and reviewed focusing on the explanation of the differences between races and ethnic groups. Kant’s geography sought to break away from the system of natural theology and the concept of design theory. Fourth, the contradiction between Kant’s geography and anthropology needs to be understood within the tension between the geo-environmental Eurocentrism inherent in Enlightenment philosophy and Cosmopolitanism as a liberating possibility.

Holistic Wisdom from Abrahamic Faiths’ Earliest Encounters with Ancient China: Towards a Constructive Chinese Natural Theology

Philosophies in the East and West have favored wisdom in their search for truths. The Chinese civilization has sought holistic wisdom in its long history of absorbing the Abrahamic faiths since the seventh century. This paper aims to investigate how the Abrahamic faiths have interacted with ancient Chinese culture. In particular, this paper will examine the earliest written records in Chinese of the Luminous Religion (or Jingjiao), the earliest Jews in Kaifeng, and the earliest Muslims in China. By analyzing their theology of creation with reference to the Holy Spirit and qi (wind/breath/pneuma), this paper attempts a constructive Chinese natural theology based on a sympathetic and critical assessment of Alister McGrath’s natural theology but makes up for his spirit deficit. This paper argues that the holistic wisdom achieved in the early integration process of the Abrahamic faiths with the Chinese culture is closely intertwined with the Spirit and qi, which provides a fruitful ground to construct a Chinese natural theology. The contribution of this paper lies in its original research into the earliest written records of the three Abrahamic faiths in China from the perspective of the doctrine of creation and its relationship with the Spirit and qi.

Aquinas, Geach, and the Inner Acts of the Will

In the paper I discuss Geach’s rejection of volitions (inner acts of the will) both in the exegesis of Aquinas and in systematic action theory – a rejection followed by some analytical commentators of Aquinas (like Davies and Kenny). I claim that Geach’s interpretation of Aquinas’s action theory in terms of tendencies (treating the will as a special kind of tendency) enables – pace Geach – a sound defense of volitionism both in the exegesis of Aquinas and in the action theory. In other words, I offer arguments in favour of volitions (inner acts of the will) starting from some insights to be found in Geach, and I response to some standard objections against volitionism. Moreover, I try to sketch a framework (based on an ontology of tendencies suggested by Geach) suitable to discuss some other volitionist claims. I proceed in four steps: first I introduce the definition of a volition or inner act of the will that may be ascribed to various camps in the volitionism debate; then I discuss three main arguments of Geach against volitionism – the argument from trying, the argument from voluntary omissions, and the argument from natural theology. I pay special attention to the issue of the timing of volitions.

The functions of natural theology in Thomas Aquinas: A presumption of atheism?

Abstract Antony Flew argued for a ‘presumption of atheism’ that intended to put the philosophical debate about God under a light which demands setting the meaningfulness and logical coherence of the theistic notion of ‘God’ before any arguments for His existence are suggested. This way of proceeding, discussing divine attributes before considering the arguments for the existence of God, became dominant in analytic philosophy of religion. Flew also stated that Aquinas presented his five ways as an attempt to defeat such a presumption of atheism. However, Aquinas proceeds in the reverse order, beginning with God's existence before discussing the divine attributes. He does so because he believes that natural knowledge of God must be drawn from creatures. Accordingly, from the Thomist perspective, natural theology is necessary not because it provides rational justification for religious belief in God's existence, but rather as a means to fix the referent for the word ‘God’ (semantic function) and provide an intelligible account of the divine nature (hermeneutic function). We should also acknowledge a correlative hermeneutic function of religious faith. Therefore, natural theology should not begin from a presumption of atheism nor proceed in the way suggested by Flew, because its main intention is not strictly apologetical.

THE GENERAL RESURRECTION AND EARLY MODERN NATURAL PHILOSOPHERS: A PRELIMINARY SURVEY

AbstractNoting that the doctrine of the general resurrection attracted renewed attention after the Reformation, and after the atomist revival led to the displacement of traditional hylomorphism by alternative matter theories, this article surveys the ways in which the resurrection was discussed by leading natural philosophers in seventeenth‐century England. These include discussion of how bodily resurrection might be possible, what resurrected bodies will be like; as well as the nature of living conditions after the resurrection. It is indicated that the resurrection seems to have played a much less prominent place in the writings of natural philosophers than the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, and other issues of natural theology. Reasons for this lack of prominence are tentatively offered, chiefly focusing on its unsuitability for combatting the perceived atheism of the time. It is hoped that this preliminary survey might inspire others to extend the survey, especially to cover Continental philosophers.