04 May 2010

FR. JAKI IN THE NEWS





An article issued a few days ago (April 29, 2010) by ZENIT (Edward Pentin) concerning the great Fr. Stanley Jaki (1924-2009) warrants posting and some notes. LINK






[TH2 analysis in bolded square brackets / bolded blue = TH2 emphasis]



FOUNDING SCIENCE: WHERE HONEST SCIENTISTS TRACE THEIR ROOTS

Without the Christian faith, there would be no modern science as we know it today. [Fr. Jaki, along with the French philosopher/historian of science Pierre Duhem (1861-1916), are the two main thinkers who have clearly demonstrated that modern science only developed and flourished from/within the Catholic cultural matrix]

That was the groundbreaking assertion made by Benedictine Father Stanley Jaki, a Hungarian-born physicist and theologian, who died last year aged 84.

A man of deep faith, lucid intelligence and great creativity according to those who knew him, Father Jaki’s expertise in science and theology led him to become one of the Church’s greatest thinkers, especially regarding the relationship between science and religion.

According to Father Paul Haffner, a professor of theology at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university in Rome, Father Jaki’s biggest contribution to modern science was the discovery that it “arose under the influence of a medieval Christian culture.” Before then, such a claim was strongly opposed by those who thought science was born out of the Enlightenment.

“They thought the Middle Ages were a dark ages, but in fact we know historically that’s not true,” explained Father Haffner, himself a prolific author who has written "Creation and Scientific Creativity," a theological study of Jaki’s thought.[Fr. Haffner's excellent book is available at Christendom Press] He cited great scientists of the medieval Church, in particular Jean Buridan, the 14th century French priest who sowed the seeds of the Copernican revolution (Copernicus was also a priest, a fact often overlooked in the Galileo controversy).

Buridan developed the concept of impetus, or momentum theory, which according to Father Haffner “anticipated Newton’s first law of motion by a couple of centuries.” Buridan’s theories were later developed and made known by Nicole Oresme, the bishop of Liseux.

Other pioneering scientists in the medieval Church included St. Albert the Great, who taught St. Thomas Aquinas, and the mystic, Hildergard of Bingen. “They all used the scientific method of observation, the formulation of a hypothesis, and perfecting a hypothesis,” said Father Haffner. He said their findings led Father Jaki to describe their contributions as the “cradle of modern science” because they showed that a world created by God is rational, ordered, good, and therefore attractive to investigate.

Father Jaki found that what inspired this early scientific method was a Christological vision. Non-Christian cultures tended to either adore the world, pantheism for example, or hate it. But Christianity, Father Jaki would say, “put the cosmos in its place” and only then could science begin to flower. The Church was the “womb of science," also because it used to be a leading financier of early scientific research.

Father Haffner pointed out how science has dangerously departed from those Christological foundations. “Now that society has become secularized, you’ve got this problem in bioethics, of things happening which shouldn’t be happening,” he observed. “Science has lost its connatural matrix and going on it’s own pragmatist road: ‘what is useful is good’ rather than what we say, that ‘what is wise will be good.’” The way of wisdom, he said, “has been lost in science,” becoming instead a means to make money or to be at the service of vested interests.

Father Jaki had a remarkable academic career: a “Distinguished Professor” at Seton Hall University, New Jersey, he authored 50 books and around 500 articles. He had a doctorate in physics, gained another one in theology, and held prestigious lecturing positions at Oxford and Yale. In 1987 he was awarded the Templeton Prize for furthering the understanding of science and religion.

At a Rome conference April 13th, speakers also discussed his other significant contributions to the Church, which included him being a “true apologist” for the faith along the lines of Cardinal John Henry Newman, someone who was anxious to discover the true face of God through a humble and sincere search for the truth.[Photographs and notes on this conference can be found at Magdalen Ross' blog, Casa Santa Lidia]

Stanley L. Jaki’s theories on the Christian origins of modern science weren’t well received by everyone, of course, but his opponents tended to be mostly proponents of relativism or liberalism, according to Father Haffner.

He believes this was because Father Jaki’s work was “not only a challenge” to relativist and liberalist thought, “but an antidote.”





Fr. Jaki's books available at Real View Books LINK


More information about Fr. Jaki's books with links to online articles at Antonio Columbo's site LINK


See TH2's book cover tribute post to Fr. Jaki LINK


See also my article The Origins of Science LINK




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6 comments:

Al said...

Not surprized that Fr. jaki's views weren't well received in some quarters. After all, that blows their "The Catholic Church is anti-science, look at what they did to Galileo!" out of the water. Of course, the facts about Galileo's case would do the same, but since when have the Catholic Church haters let the facts stand in their way. Of course, they also ignore that the university system came out of the Catholic Church as well.

Fr. Jaki was absolutely right. As I have often pointed out elsewhere, science arose because they were trying to learn how God ordered the universe.

to this day, I will never understand how an Isaac Asimov or a Carl Seagan could ever be an atheist. Why is another matter, pride, arrogance etc.

TH2 said...

Brilliant comment as per usual, Al.

Regarding Asimov/Sagan. My guess that there was much pride involved with their atheism. I recall seeing a TV interview with Sagan, soon before his death, where he so nonchalantly denied the existence of God. Even the lady interviewing him was (I could tell) taken aback how he so debonairly (if that is a word) denied the existence of God as the Creator of all that is.

Al said...

With Sagan, I honestly think he saw himself as God & that the universe revolved arround him. As the old joke goes, if you looked up pride in the dictionary you would see a picture of him. Ditto for arrogance & ego.

TH2 said...

Hard core atheists will, in the final analysis, always feel themselves to be god-like or semi-divine. Then they go bonkers. Old story.

Hitchens is a case in point.

Anita Moore said...

By the way, Copernicus' entire family -- including, presumably, the man himself -- were Third Order Dominicans, to the considerable augmentation of his overall coolness factor.

And nothing could be more appropriate, since St. Dominic is the patron of astronomers.

TH2 said...

Anita:

Copernicus dedicated De revolutionibus orbium coelestium to Pope Paul III.

SIDE-BAR...Thx ;)

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