On Science. From the Heritage of the Optina Elders

  1. Lemma
  2. О Науке. Из наследия Оптинских старцев
  3. Russian
  4. Asliturk, Miriam
  5. Modes of interaction > Orthodox critique of science - Various approaches to the problem of correlation between science and theology - Concepts of knowledge and modes of reasoning
  6. 04-01-2017
  7. Рожнёва, Ольга [Author]. О Науке. Из наследия Оптинских старцев
  8. Православие.Ru
  9. Monastery - Science - Elders
  10. Click Here
    1. <p>Рожнёва, Ольга (2012). О науке. Из наследия Оптинских старцев. <em>Православие.Ru. </em>Retrieved from <a href="http://www.pravoslavie.ru/57430.html">http://www.pravoslavie.ru/57430.html</a> </p>

    1. The author points out that Optina monastery elders, the Optina Startzev, had great appreciation for science. At the same time they warned that science without faith was as dangerous as weapons in the hands of a mad person. The author cites several of these Startzevs’ opinions. For example, the Reverend Amvrosy (1812-1891) claimed that technical progress did not go together with moral progress, which was in its turn independent from scientific progress. For Amvrosy, spiritual progress cannot be shared by the society as a whole. It can only be realized individually and depends on a person’s humility as well as his or her fulfillment of god’s commandments. Starets Varsonofy (1812-1891) stressed the same idea arguing that happinness could not be obtained only through technical progress. Like Amvrosy, he maintained that it can be achieved through individual spiritual development. Varsonofy mentioned the famous 19th century Russian surgeon and Professor Pirogov as an example of a religious person and a scientist at the same time. The Reverend Nektary (1853-1928) learned sciences and loved secular literature. His idea was that ethics should not be in the way of scientific learning; nor learning should be in the way of one’s ethics. Nektary thought that God wanted man to acquire scientific knowledge infinitely. He argued that since there was no end in divine creativity, there should be no limit in acquiring knowledge.