Science and Religion: what kinds of truth do they seek?

Abstract

It has been suggested that one similarity between science and religion is that both endeavours pursue truth. Over the last century, however, there has been a significant move in the philosophy of science to suggest that science does not, cannot, or should not pursue truth. There are three possible basic responses to this: that philosophers are wrong, and science does in fact pursue truth; that science and religion are not so similar after all; or that – like science – religion also does not pursue truth. Cutting across all these options is the question: what kind of truth are we talking about? This paper argues that neither science nor religion pursue ultimate logical truths: science seeks to get a grasp on the phenomena, and is broadly unconcerned with ultimate reality; Christianity pursues relational truth, which is broadly unconcerned with logical facticity. This has implications for framing discussions of about science and Christianity, with pertinence for the fledgling discussions of such in an Asian context.