1. The main purpose of the project – philosophical and
interdisciplinary analysis of a contemporary dialogue between cultures,
institutions, worldviews and value systems leading to a new mentality of the
XXI century within a transition from the so-called “technogenic” civilization
to a future intellectual, political, economical and social order.
2. The main task of the project is to conduct
interdisciplinary and comparative research of the possibilities for
multidimensional interrelation of science, philosophy and religion in the
formation of the future value systems.
3. The main idea and structure
of the proposed approach consists
in formulating a research hypothesis on the nature of the
science-philosophy-religion interrelation, in elaborating its possible scheme
and its main stages, in finding out sufficient historical and sociological data
for its justification with the help of the case studies, content analysis and
research interviews, and in testing this conceptual structure in the lively
dialogue between scientists, philosophers, priests including devoted believers
of different confessions and atheists.
How the conceptual scheme of the research in
question is supposed to be formed?
1. As far as the core question and expected
outcome of the proposed project is a deeper understanding of conditions and
stages in the rise of new mentality based upon interrelation of philosophy,
religion and science, it should be definitely pointed out that a dialogue of
this kind should be organized not in an arbitrary way but in accordance with
the inner tendencies of mentality evolution and transformations in the current
world view. There are a number of well-justified and widely shared conceptual
means (elaborated by philosophy of language, social epistemology, and
phenomenology) that should be used in this analysis.
2. So the research focuses, firstly, on the
very structure of this dialogue as a form of rational discourse, which can be
analyzed in terms of the functional linguistics (M. Halliday) and
discourse-ethics (J. Habermas-K. Apel).
3. This particular dialogue has necessarily an
interdisciplinary character and should overcome contradictions between
different social, institutional, cultural and intellectual traditions and
projects. This requires, secondly, a new picture of the whole ontology of
knowledge, where different conceptual structures can be combined without widely
spread prejudices. The ontology of this kind has been elaborated by social
epistemology (D. Bloor, S. Fuller, I. Kasavin), whose basic idea consists in
accepting a broad variety and equal rationality of “Denkformen”, forms of
thought or types of cognition, all rooted in social experience, human
“Societät”.
4. Correspondingly, in its turn, the nature of
this sociality is conceptually grasped by E. Husserl by two of his terms:
“world of life” (Lebenswelt) and “historical apriori” and further elaborated by
K. Hübner and I. Kasavin.
5. And finally this gives way for deeper understanding
of the rise of new world view and tracing the points of growth of the new
values, which are formed in terms of science-religion-philosophy interrelation.
6. Further, the particular cases of this
interrelation can and will be analyzed, and this will provide crucial tests and
possible justification for the chosen research scheme.
7. This is the only possible way to follow the
guidelines for Science-Spirituality Studies, which B. Nicolescu clearly
formulated in his talk (
- to learn democracy, fight new totalitarism in
religions and sciences;
- to be critical to mass-media and pop-culture
in the sphere of S&S;
- to carry out S&S as a kind of
interdisciplinary and comparative research and introduce it into academic
discourse instead of undertaking artificial efforts to establish one more
disciplinary structure.
In terms of the proposed project, which has
essentially interdisciplinary character, it is useful to divide the main key
words into three groups:
A. Philosophy:
interdisciplinarity; rational discourse; language games; intercultural
dialogue; social context; world of life; historical apriori; ontology; value;
comparative study; world view, non-classical science, pseudoscience;
B. Theology:
sacred and profane; knowledge, belief and faith; numinosal (R. Otto) features;
arché (W. Groenbech); epiphany; prophecy; revelation; mystery; supernatural;
religious pluralism; method in theology, quasi-religion;
C. Science:
organism and setting, quantum mechanics and subject-object structure of the
Universe, neuron structures and cognition, dreams and possible worlds, backward stream of time and prediction,
creation and evolution, immortality and gene engineering.
The development of the dialogue between
representatives of natural science and theologians in
Scholars from the Department of Study of
Religion and Department of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Public Service
at the President of the Russian Federation, the Russian State University of
Humanities, Centre for the Study of Religion, the Perm State University chair
of Study of Religion and Moscow Theological Academy of the Russian Orthodox
Church are supposed to participate in the project.
Direction 1
To achieve the goal it is necessary to make a
comparative epistemological inquiry into the modern religious and scientific
knowledge about organization of Being, correlation between religious belief and
knowledge. On the basis of new data it is supposed to elaborate a modern view
on “the problem of demarcation” between science and theology in the light of
renewed ideas about the criteria of science (“scientificity”), including the
problem of inevitability of the presence of preconditions and axioms, which
cannot be proved and which are taken for granted in scientific knowledge and
the presence of rational and objective knowledge of the world in religious
teachings. It is urgent to investigate epistemological peculiarities of
scientific and religious beliefs, the influence of ontological conceptions of
scientists and theologians on their epistemology.
Direction 2
Facing the fact that both science and religion
have a great effect on the formation of spirituality and world outlook of
rising generations, it is supposed to investigate within the framework of the
project the philosophical-methodological and organizational aspects of teaching
religion and alternative scientific theories (creationism, Darwinism etc.) at
secular secondary and high school.
Direction 3
At present it seems appropriate to investigate
the influence of science and religion on the existing system of social norms
(religious prescriptions and taboos, temporal law) disclosing their correlations
with the epistemological peculiarities in teachings. Examples: the religion’s
claim for the absolute truth and the natural law conception; scientism, “social
engineering” and the positive law conception; alternatives to the “omniscient”
religion and “omniscient” science, prescribing the rules of life and
pluralistic relativist approach to the society.
The
whole research team includes twenty six
members, among them:
12
highly qualified Moscow scholars and scientists, specialists in different
domains: in various sciences, in the philosophy of science, epistemology, the
science of religion, philosophy of religion, theology, psychology, chemistry,
physics, ethics, social and political philosophy (core research team, see Appendix
0). Some of them (like V. Filatov, M. Shakhov, A. Krasnikov, V. Petrenko, V.
Shokhin) are in their turn heads of the smaller research groups on science and
religion and their activity will partly overlap with the project;
14
highly qualified regional scholars, specialists in different scientific
domains: in various sciences, in the philosophy of science, epistemology, the
study of religion, philosophy of religion, psychology, biology, pharmacology,
chemistry, physics (3 regional module teams, see Appendix I, II, III).
Above
all about 25 affiliated members – scholars, scientists and priests from
different
All
of them have already demonstrated the potential and willingness to engage in
various public outreach activities (the organization of conferences, seminar
programmes etc.) aimed at the discussion of many urgent scientific and
philosophical issues and promoting public interest and research in the area of
Science and Spirituality/Religion.
All team members hold academic positions and
are resident in
Their functions in the research team will be
distributed in accordance with the module structure of the whole project.
All participants declare that they are released
from a number of regular obligations in order to be able to take the whole
responsibility for their functions and tasks in the project.
I.
Kasavin,
the project director and principal investigator, will be responsible for main
research and executive activity, budget, general planning and control (2/3 of
time released from regular obligations).
II.
V.
Stepin, A. Guseinov will be permanently employed as core research team members
(main researchers) (1/4 of time released).
III.
V.
Filatov, A. Krasnikov, N. Kuznetsova, V. Petrenko, V. Rabinovich, V. Schokhin
will fulfill part-time research and organizational tasks (1/5 of time
released).
IV.
V.
Kolpakov, M. Shakhov, O. Zubets will be employed among all as research and
supporting staff (1/2 released).
V.
It
presupposes a permanent collaboration of the core team (
All of the regional participants will follow
the same research plan and conference time-table, develop generally cooperative
activities and implement certain tasks of their own (see more details in
Appendix I-III).
The project builds a thematic and structural
wholeness uniting the members of at
least 15 state universities and research academic institutes all over Russia
(philosophers, scientists, and social scientists of four major confessions in
Russia (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist) and atheists as well as priests).
Personal confessional
appurtenance as a
confidential data is not given in the enclosed CV’s of the participants.
The core team will include members of the following 9 departments within
6 significant state educational and research institutions in
1.
Institute of Philosophy (departments for social epistemology, philosophy of religion,
philosophy of science, ethics), Russian Academy of Sciences (Prof. I. Kasavin,
Prof. V. Stepin, Prof. A. Gusejnov, Prof. Shokhin, Dr. V. Kolpakov, Dr. O.
Zubets): “Science and non-scientific forms of thinking”
2.
Institute for the
History of Natural Sciences and Technology,
3.
Moscow State University,
faculty of psychology, laboratory of
psychosemantics, (
4.
Moscow State University, philosophical faculty, department for study of religion, (Prof.
Dr. A. Krasnikov): “Interdisciplinarity in the science of religion”
5.
6.
Institute for the
Studies of Culture, Russian Ministry of
Culture and Mass Communications (Prof. V. Rabinovitch, Candidate of Chemical
Sciences, Dr. of Philosophy): “Occult sciences as a unity of scientific and
religious practices”
7.
Russian Academy of State
Service at the Russian President Administration,
department for the study of religion, (Prof. Dr. Shakhov, deputy chair, M.A. in
Physics, Dr. of Philosophy): “Knowledge and Faith in scientific and religious
context”
List of participants*
|
Project Director and
Principal Investigator |
Address |
Telephone, fax,
email |
|
Prof. Dr. Ilya Kasavin, correspondent member
of the Russian Academy of Science, Head of the Department for Social
Epistemology, Editor in Chief of the "Epistemology & Philosophy of
Science", Institute of Philosophy RAS (epistemology, philosophy of
science, study of religion, myth and magic) |
119992 |
(095) 4255758 |
|
Research team
members |
Address |
Telephone, fax,
email |
|
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Vjatcheslav Stepin, full
member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Supervisor of the
Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), M.A. in
quantum physics, Dr. of Philosophy, (philosophy of science, Eastern
philosophy, value systems) |
119992 |
(095)1358779 |
|
Prof. Dr. Abdusalam Gusejnov, full member of
the |
119992 |
(095)9380391 |
|
Prof. Dr. Vladimir Shokhin, Head of
department for philosophy of religion, |
119992 |
(095)5597989 |
|
Prof. Dr. Viktor Petrenko, Dr. of Psychology (the pupil of A.R. Luria),
correspondent member of the Russian Academy of Science, faculty of
psychology, Chair, Moscow State University (cognitive, social and personality
psychology, transpersonal psychology, Buddist studies) |
117234 |
(095)4587513 |
|
Prof. Dr. Vadim Rabinovitch, Ph.D. in
Chemistry, Dr. in Philosophy, director of department at the Institute for the
Studies of Culture (history of science
and religion, study of esotericism, alchemy, Cabbala) |
119992 |
(095)2024630 |
|
Prof. Dr. Vladimir Filatov, M.A. in Physics,
Dr. of Philosophy, Chair, Russian State University for Humanities (Russian
religious philosophy, philosophy of science) |
119331 |
(095)1481249 |
|
Dr. Vladimir Kolpakov, M.A. in Mathematics,
Ph.D. in Philosophy, senior research member of the |
119992 |
(095)9154410 |
|
Dr. Olga Zubets, senior research member of
the |
119992 |
(095)1481446 |
|
Prof. Dr. N. Kuznetsova, M.A. in Geography,
Dr. of Philosophy, Institute for the History of Natural Sciences and
Technology, Russian Academy of Sciences (philosophy of science, methodology
of science history, religion and magic in the history of science) |
117 232 |
(095)1574905 |
|
|
117234 |
(0495)4219695 |
|
Prof. Dr. M. Shakhov, deputy chair, M.A. in Physics, Dr. of
Philosophy, Russian Academy of State Service at the Russian President
Administration, department for the study of religion (religion and science
dialogue, orthodox theology) |
117488 |
(095)9432490 |
Core
framework theme: “Meta-Dialogue on Value-Synthesis: between philosophy of
science and philosophy of religion”
Theoretical
seminar on science and religion (4 sessions per year)
International
conference on the core framework theme (2007)
Volume
of joint publications of research team (2008) in Russian and English, including
the best papers of the participants (the regional participants as well)
Further
development and support of three websites.
Three
regional modules based on the state universities of Tver (The North-West of
1. Regional module A
A team headed by Prof. Dr. Boris Gubman, chair, department for the theory and
history of culture, Tver State University, Tver (regional partners – the
Module
framework theme: “Scientific progress VS
spiritual value in postmodern studies”
Setting
up a research group on Science & Spirituality
Theoretical
seminar on science and religion (4 sessions per year)
Interregional
conference on the module framework theme (2008)
Volume
of joint publications of research team (2009)
Elaboration
of website
2.
Regional module B
A
team headed by Prof. Sergej Schavelev
(Dr. of History and Archeology, Dr. of Philosophy), chair, department of
philosophy, Kursk State Medical University, Kursk (regional partners – Orel
State University, Voronezh State University).
There
are four philosophers (study of religion and mysticism, bioethics, philosophy
of religion, epistemology), and one historian with two Dr. degrees among them,
and also one biologist and specialist in medicine (pharmacology) taking part in
the module project (see Appendix II).
Module
framework theme: “Spiritual practice: from mysticism to science”
Setting
up a research group on Science & Spirituality
Theoretical
seminar on science and religion (4 sessions per year)
Interregional
conference on the module framework theme (2008)
Volume
of joint publications of research team (2009)
Elaboration
of website
3.
Regional module C
A
team headed by Prof. Dr. Andrej
Zabijako, chair, department for the study of religion, Amur State
University, Blagoveschensk (regional partners – Institute of Philosophy of the
Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the
Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk), Far East State University
(Vladivostok).
There
are two philosophers and one sociologist (epistemology and philosophy of
science, philosophy of religion, sociology of religion) taking part in the
module project (see Appendix III).
Module
framework theme: “Scientific and Technological Progress as a Source of
Quasi-Religious Movement”
Setting
up a research group on Science & Spirituality
Theoretical
seminar on science and religion (4 sessions per year)
Interregional
conference on the module framework theme (2008)
Volume
of joint publications of research team (2009)
Elaboration
of website