From: jan@dekoning.ca
Date: Tue Sep 03 2002 - 21:49:16 EDT
John Burgeson writes:
> Jan wrote: "in my first year's
> basic philosophy course I learned to divide "science"= (German
> "Wissenschaft") in 14 categories, from Theology to Arithmetic, but all
> bound
> together by our relation or nob-relation to God: "From the heart are the
> issues of life.""
>
> What I see here is simply a different definition of the word "science."
> Using the word "science" to encompass all knowledge is OK, but then we
> need a word for the part that has to do only with methodological
> naturalistic investigations of the material world.
>
> I prefer "science" for this latter topic, and "Fields of study" for what
> Jan calls "science" in the above. My study of German is now 45 years in
> the past (and I was not very proficient at it) so I don't know how to
> properly translate the word "wissenshaft."
>
> Burgy
>
My point is that our whole life is bound together. We are serving God or we
are not serving God (thus serving Satan). That is an unity. But then one
cannot just divide all the study fields in just two fields. That is simply
not true. Math. is not Physics, is not Biology etc. Some scientific
studies are done under the title Arts, because it used to be done, in
medieval times under the title Arts. Studying Theology is not faith.
Studying History may involve studying Physics, or Astronomy. While there
may be many different studies, I claim that calling naturalistic tudies of
the material world is impossible. "naturalistic studies" are physics.
Biology is more than just materialistic, it involves life and feelings as
well.
I admit, though, that indeed in medieval times Arts and Sciences may have
made sense, but I cannot understand why that division is kept up in
Anglo-Saxon countries. In European countries they may not follow the exact
divisions I would like to see, but studying Theology is as much doing
Wissenschaft as doing Mathematics. Same goes for Biology and Psychology.
But it is high time to go to sleep for me, since tomorrow morning I ahve to
walk, to do work at home to assist my wife who got a new shoulder, to study
for an introduction I have to give next week about Revelations and receive
guests.
Jan de Koning
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