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How should philosophy and theology relate to each other? Are they allies, rivals, or independent disciplines? Can reason support faith, or does it inevitably undermine it? This lesson examines the major models for understanding the relationship between philosophy and theology, from the integration model of Aquinas to the independence model of Wittgenstein, and considers whether the two disciplines can coexist fruitfully.
Natural theology is the branch of theology that seeks to establish truths about God through reason and observation of the natural world, without relying on special revelation (Scripture, prophecy, religious experience). Natural theology assumes that human reason, operating independently, can arrive at genuine knowledge of God's existence and some of God's attributes.
Key Definition: Natural Theology — The enterprise of using human reason and observation of the natural world to establish truths about God's existence and nature, without appeal to special revelation. The classical arguments for God's existence (cosmological, teleological, ontological) are exercises in natural theology.
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