Holistic Rationality and a Complement Model for Natural Sciences and Christian Theology Interaction

A complement model is proposed to account for the interaction between the natural sciences and Christian theology that cultivates cooperation between the two disciplines. This model is based upon a conception of holistic rationality, in which the two main epistemological conceptions of rationality—instrumental and categorical—are enriched in terms of the axiological and metaphysical stances towards what is preferably and possibly knowable and of an epistemic subject’s ethical stance. The axiological and the ethical stances consist of values and virtues, respectively, while the metaphysical stance involves absolute presuppositions. This conception of rationality, in which rules and principles or ends and means, are expanded with respect to values, virtues, and presuppositions, permits an analysis of the interplay between science and theology at a foundational level in terms of the formulation, appraisal, and acceptance of scientific and theological knowledge. Moreover, it provides practitioners in both disciplines an opportunity to combine rationally in a complementary fashion their epistemic claims to form a comprehensive world picture, which captures the world’s complexity but still maintains the integrity of each discipline’s epistemic claims.