ORTHODOX VIEWS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Kisha Orthodhokse Autoqefale e Shqipërisë 

ORTHODOX VIEWS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

On the occasion of Archbishop of Tirana Anastasios’ recent  expression og gratitude to his treating medical doctors and health workers  of the Hospital “Evangelismos” in Athens, Greece, (Anastasios Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all Albania Greetings of appreciation)  the Archdiocese of Tirana published the views the Archbishop has repeatedly pointed out about the development of science and technology.

“Orthodoxy envisages science and technology with doxology and thanksgiving to God who has granted to humans the possibility to look for truth and discover unknown aspects of the Creation. It is worth underscoring that the Orthodox Church has avoided patronizing scientific research and has not pronounced judgment on every scientific achievement whenever it happened.

Today’s technology has facilitated our everyday life; it has contributed to tackling dangerous diseases; it has enhanced the communication; it has advanced the exploration of the universe and so on.

Expressing our thanks and respect towards scientific research, likewise we are constrained to pinpoint the risks entailed in some scientific achievements by highlighting human dignity and man’s divine destination. This means that science and technology alone cannot face and cure all human problems- moral, emotional, existential.

Their achievements have ignited many aspirations. For example, artificial intelligence multiplies the possibilities of the intellect. However, the human being is not only an intellectual entity. Artificial intelligence will never replace love. It will always grow by faith and the communion with the God of love.

The immense macrocosm of the universe and the amazing microcosm we enshrine within us constitute a reality that our intellect cannot entirely grasp. It is like having a vast wash-basin with ants moving within its limits: the world for them is that wash-basin. How can they come to comprehend the rest of the world?

The human being must accept that he/she cannot perceive everything, always falling short of what the imagination aspires to. True wisdom goes with genuine humility. We do not know everything, we do not understand everything and we are not the terrific ones we imagine.

In short, both scientific research aiming at exploring the secrets of the universe and the spiritual endeavor of the Church to approach and communicate with the Creator are two different aspects of pursuit for truth. Both are expressions of doxology addressed to Him who is the Truth.”