The language of Orthodox theology & quantum mechanics: St Gregory Palamas and Niels Bohr

Stoyan Tanev

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingBook chapterResearchpeer-review

Abstract

The objective of this chapter is to provide an analytical framework that would enable the comparison of the ways of using words and language in the cases of St. Gregory Palamas and Niels Bohr. The main motivation will be to explore Christos Yannaras’ point about the opportunity of using quantum mechanics as a source of a new language that could be useful in enhancing the power of theological statements. It is important to point out that the main goal here is to use the insights from existing studies to provide a preliminary comparative analysis. The novelty in such an approach should be sought in the possibility of using the comparison to identify common linguistic themes, the discussion of which could become a source of insights for both theology and physics. On one hand, such an approach could be methodologically beneficial for the ongoing science-theology dialogue. On the other hand, it could be highly relevant within the context of Christian homiletics and apologetics and it is precisely this aspect that is of greatest interest here. The discussion will necessarily focus on epistemological issues, touching on the nature of the relation between the meaning of words and the reality they represent. The focus on epistemological issues could be justified by the fact that both St. Gregory Palamas and Niels Bohr have been acknowledged for their epistemological insights.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationOrthodox Theology and the Sciences
EditorsPavel Pavlov, Stoyan Tanev, George Dragas
Number of pages33
Place of PublicationColumbia, Missouri, USA
PublisherNewrome Press LLC
Publication date2013
ISBN (Print)978-1-939028-11-2
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Keywords

  • Orthodox theology
  • theology and science
  • Interdisciplinarity

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The language of Orthodox theology & quantum mechanics: St Gregory Palamas and Niels Bohr'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this