Abstract

DU PLESSIS, P.G.W.. A workshop for theology, philosophy and other disciplines. In Skriflig (Online) [online]. 2011, vol.45, n.2-3, pp.307-328. ISSN 2305-0853.

The proposal to start a workshop among theologians, philosophers and other specialists is connected to the view that foundational issues exist in every faculty and in every field of study. A distinction between theology as "divinity knowledge" and philosophy as "secular rational discourse" is set aside by explaining that both theology and philosophy are "sciences of faith". Not one single discipline is without its bona fides and its foundational issues. Hence, the suggestion to pay continual attention to foundational issues in theology, philosophy and other concerned disciplines in an interdisciplinary workshop. Using the so-called multidimensional scope of science (empirical, methodological and dimension of meta-issues) the author argues that any scientific discipline is inextricably bound up with foundational issues. Some limitations and some advantages of scientific inquiries like logical critique, transcendental critique, and transforming of elements of truths serve as to deliberately further co-operation between specialists on common fundamental issues, on inadmissible/undesirable differences and on indispensable diversity. Several assumptions are presented, for example one's own specialist field does not have the final word about common issues; that various specialists can learn from one another; Christian theology does not renderChristian scholarship redundant in other scientific disciplines such as languages or philosophy. Special disciplines deteriorate in scientific quality whenever specialists tend to get rid of their inherent foundational issues, tend to keep quiet about them, or pass them on to philosophers.

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