Keywords
Howell
van der Meer
Oosterhoff
literalism
Bible
exegesis
allegory
natural symbolism
early modern science
How to Cite
Abstract
The Role of Protestantism in the Emergence of Modern Science: Critiques of Harrison's Hypothesis
Abstract: According to Peter Harrison's book The Bible, Protestantism and the Rise of Natural Science (1998) modern science came into existence as a result of the emphasis of Protestants on the literal sense of the Scripture, their refusal of the earlier symbolic or allegorical interpretation, and their efforts at fixing the meaning of the biblical text in which each passage was to be ascribed a single and unique meaning. This article tries to summarize the most significant critiques of Harrison's hypothesis (by Kenneth Howell, Jiste van der Meer and Richard Oosterhoff) and to acknowledge their legitimacy. However, the alternative explanation of the emergence of modern science as a result of disputes over the biblical interpretation and the subsequent discovery of the ambiguous character of the ordinary verbal language is not fully satisfactory either.
Keywords: Harrison; Howell; van der Meer; Oosterhoff; literalism; Bible; exegesis; allegory; natural symbolism; early modern science
Role Protestantismu při vzniku moderní vědy: kritiky Harrisonovy hypotézy
Abstrakt: Podle knihy Petera Harrisona The Bible, Protestantism and the Rise of Natural Science z roku 1998 vznikla moderní věda jako výsledek důrazu protestantů na doslovný smysl Písma, jejich odmítnutí dřívějšího symbolického či alegorického výkladu a jejich snahy o fixaci významu biblického textu, v němž každá pasáž měla mít jediný a jedinečný význam. Tento článek se pokouší o shrnutí nejvýznamnějších kritik Harrisonovy hypotézy (od Kennetha Howella, Jitse van der Meera a Richarda Oosterhoffa) a uznává jejich oprávněnost. Nicméně ani alternativní vysvětlení vzestupu moderní vědy jakožto výsledku neshod ve výkladu Písma a následného objevu nejednoznačné povahy běžného verbálního jazyka není zcela uspokojivé.
Klíčová slova: Harrison; Howell; van der Meer; Oosterhoff; literalismus; Bible; exegeze; alegorie; přírodní symbolismus; raně novověká věda
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