Science and theology in different contexts

 How are science and theology related to one another? Given that all theology is formulated and discussed in some context, we should consider how attempts to explore the relationship between science and theology also occur in particular contexts.

There is no such thing as the relationship between science and religion and this is the book about it.

This statement is made by David Livingstone in Which Science? Whose Religion?, the last chapter in the insightful book, Science and Religion Around the World, edited by John Hedley Brooke and Ronald L. Numbers.

Aside: The author is not the famous missionary from the 19th century, of the same name.

Livingstone reviews the chapters in the book to show the diversity of interactions between different religious traditions and different sciences (from astronomy to anthropology) in different locations and at different times. To understand the complexity of interactions he considers a set of imperatives: pluralise, localise, hybridise, and politicise.

Pluralise

There is a plurality of religions and within any major religion, there is a plurality of traditions. Consequently, the interaction with a specific science or issue may also be incredibly diverse. There is also a diversity of sciences.  A specific science can be viewed from many different angles: knowledge content, method, philosophy, ethics, history, or practitioners.

Localise

Any interaction needs to be considered in its geographical location. Many traditions and perspectives are unique to a particular location. Even something as narrow as Calvinism can vary significantly between countries and communities.

Hybridise

Consider cross-cultural syntheses between different conceptions of science and religion. This is particularly true in this era of globalisation, whereby what people believe and how they live can be a mix of Western modernism, postmodernism, capitalism, and distinctly non-Western worldviews. For example, an astronomer in South Asia may be quite comfortable consulting an astrologer in order to determine an auspicious date for the wedding of their daughter.

Politicise

Political contexts do have an influence on both science and on theology: what topics and perspectives gather the most attention, funding, and debate. Furthermore, these political contexts can significantly influence discussions, whether it is discussions about biological evolution in the USA or about astrology in a South Asian country. 

Livingstone's imperatives (pluralise, localise, hybridise, politicise) are oriented towards describing and understanding a specific science-theology interaction that has happened or is underway. But, there is a question that is important to discuss and has contested answers.

How does one discern what might be normative in a science-theology interaction in a specific context?

A related question is what should be normative in contextual theology?

Behind these questions, there is a general philosophical problem that reflects the is-ought problem, the fact-value distinction, and the relationship between descriptive and prescriptive statements.