Faith, Reason and the Challenges of Epistemic Claims

The debate of the age long relationship between faith and reason as diverse sources of knowledge of reality has been on for quite some time and the quest for a clearer elucidation at this time is imperative as well as compelling because of the sordid condition we have found ourselves in the world today. The world is bedeviled by a number of challenges that has questioned the realities of our social existence, as it relates to how we perceive ourselves, neighbors, circumstances and experiences in our contemporary society. As a result, there seems to be a general dislocation of our sense of values, hope and confidence necessary for the activation and sustenance of the matrix of social solidarity and human development. Some scholars have poignantly seen science as the only solution to existential problems. Peter Throdahl, for example, writes that: “In an age in which science and reason are required to find real solutions to very real problems in an extremely complex world, science is often taking a back seat to religious dogma and political agendas. My fear, as well as yours, is that the younger generation will be educated without an appreciation for scientific process and our solutions to modern-day problems will not reflect the knowledge of the day. What a chilling and dark future that would leave for us all.” It is important to note that we are aware that “productivity and positive results of science plays an important role in human emancipation, aspiration, self-fulfillment and social progress, but that contrary to Throdahl`s expectations, they do not certainly exhaust the depth of human knowledge and their aspirations;” otherwise, there would not have been need for the debate under review. My motivation in this study, therefore, is to activate a certain kind of conversation that will change our understanding or at least make some skeptics have a second look at the tension between faith and reason as two ways of knowing and interpreting human realities.