Wie Kann Uns Die Wissenschaft Zur Wahren Erkenntnis Der Wahrheit Führen?
How Can Science Lead Us to the True Knowledge of the Truth?

Summary/Abstract: It is not so long ago that we in Central Europe lived in a society with the leading role of a party and with the only possible world view. Everything else was considered backward and ossified. The relics of this society are still reaching the present day and will continue to influence the region for a long time to come. They include, for example, views that claim that only science (or reason) can lead us to true knowledge. It is therefore a matter of such trust in science that far exceeds its competence. This view is not only typical of post-communist society, but is actually dominant throughout Europe. Under the influence of the scientific and technological revolution, the view has become established that our society will reach perfection (a rosy future) through science. The optimism and hope that accompany it are slowly being erased, but there is no harm in realising what the real possibilities of scientific knowledge are. That is why in this work we want to compare the understanding of St. Thomas Aquinas' teaching on the relationship between faith and understanding, philosophy and theology, as presented by Pope Benedict XVI, with the thought of H. Arendt, S. Pinckaers and E. Schockenhoff. We are looking for an answer to the question of truth and truthfulness in the field of science, where religion and faith also belong. With the agreement of faith and reason, on the other hand, one must at the same time recognize that they use different cognitive approaches. As Thomas says: reason accepts a truth by virtue of its inner, direct or indirect manifestation; faith, on the other hand, accepts a truth by virtue of the authority of the Word of God that reveals itself.

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