Autonomous reason and spiritual reason: the encounter with reality

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleRaţiune autonomă şi raţiune înduhovnicită: întâlnirea cu realitatea
3. Language term Romanian
4. lemma author Stavinschi, Alexandra
5. lemma category Concepts of knowledge and modes of reasoning > Orthodox gnosiology - Various approaches to the problem of correlation between science and theology - Modes of interaction > Integration
6. Publication date 31-1-2017
7. lemma work Ionescu, Razvan Andrei [Author]. Autonomous reason and spiritual reason: the encounter with reality
8. lemma manifestations The new representation of the world
9. Keywords rationality - faith and knowledge - interdisciplinary dialogue - epistemology - miracles - creation as theophany
10. Citations
    1. 62-87
11. Lemma body

    1. The article seeks to clarify and demistify the terminological, philopsophical and theological misunderstandings that ensued from the improper use of the notions of reason and faith as a label for two apparently incompatible approaches to reality, the scientific and the religious one. In particular, it is the idea that there is an underlying rationality to faith that has often been questioned; here, the author undertakes a systematic analysis of the issue.

       Razvan Ionescu points out that science is defined as the expression par excellence of rationality. What about faith? Is it also a manifestation of rationality? If yes, what kind of rationality does it involve? Is there a difference, a similarity or identity between the rationality of faith and the rationality of science? How can rationality be defined? In addition, since reason is considered, along with the senses, as the interface between the "I" and the world-reality, the author wonders what the connection between reason and reality might be. Is reality permeated by rationality or do we rationalize it through our epistemologic attempt?

       The article is divided in two parts:

       1) Reason and Rationality from a Scientific and Theological Perspective (which in turn is subdivided into the following sections: 1.1 Perspective on contemporary scientific rationality; 1.2 Contemporary theological perspective on rationality; 1.3 The rationality of science and the rationality of faith – a comparative view) and

       2) Human rationality and spiritual rationality and the encounter with reality (subdivided into: 2.1 Real and Reality; 2.2 Mathematics and reality; 2.3 Physics and Reality; 2.4 Theology and reality; 2.5 The miracle - when the reality expresses a theophany).

       Deciphering the rationality of the world and the fertile dialogue with reality, both through scientific and theological means – which are both in dialogue and mutual (re) cognition - enables man to open inwards through a spirit of wonder, humility, confidence, perseverance and creativity. These are the fundamental coordinates for enjoying the world in its profound rationale.