Education and religion

Dear editors !

The great philosopher Socrates said that he knows that he knew nothing. He was an example of true wisdom, a man who understood the extreme limitation of his knowledge of the world. Unlike, unfortunately, many of us teachers and scientists. Having received a higher education, we often believe that we can weightfully and reasonably judge everything and neglect with neglect of things that the best minds of mankind thought for hundreds of years. All this comes from self -confidence, pride and ignorance, which you need to decisively fight. Tell me, colleagues, can the Schrödinger equation or the adron collider answer the eternal questions of a person about his being, appointment, about the meaning of life? Will they help in spiritual searches, will they make life easier in difficult times, will they strengthen the tailor? Of course, not, science occupies its own, limited niche in the life of mankind, and religion, philosophy and specialized hospitals give answers to the listed questions and problems.

I believe that in the 21st century, our country should receive instead of ignorant scientists-"all-digit" a new generation of scientists-people of versatile and spiritually rich. This requires the restructuring of the system of our higher education. Therefore, I was very happy to hear about practical steps in this direction, which are taking the mentors of our students in leading universities in Russia.

Last week in the glorious National Research Nuclear University, MEPhI, the scientific council unanimously supported the initiative to create a theology department in the MIFI and approved the Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Illarion as the head of the department. The rector of MIFI Mikhail Strikhanov expressed the hope that the university will become a place of free academic discussion and fruitful cooperation of Orthodox theology and modern science. And Metropolitan Illarion noted that the Department of Theology at a secular university will enable students to gain knowledge in the area that continues to play a significant role in people's lives, i.e. In the field of religion, where often even brilliantly erudite people show amazing incompetence, which must be done with. In addition, the metropolitan said, the Department of Theology will help a person to prioritize for himself in life, as well as determine the meaning of life for himself.

I consider it very correct that students on a voluntary basis will study theological disciplines instead of thumping in a hostel. Suppose, they themselves will not immediately reach the Department of Theology, but I hope that the rector and dean of the National Research University will be able to find good arguments in order to encourage students to expand the cultural horizons, the development of new and unusual disciplines. In general, you need to look at things wider and fight with the dense ignorance of our, so to speak, education from all sides. Let the departments of ancient history and culture, the department of opera and ballet open in engineering, technical and physical universities. And, frankly, the culture must be carried to the masses, sometimes in a voluntary-compulsory manner-let such courses become mandatory, with tests and exams. He could not listen to the course of Orthodox theology and summarize his spiritual views with some kind of sonorous Latin statement like Homo homini lupus estus est-you will not become a graduate of an elite university!

Yes, of course, listening to raising the cultural level and giving food to thoughts about the meaning of the life of courses will take some time from all material science and nuclear physics, but think about it, colleagues: a spiritual designer of nuclear reactors is terrible! And if a student of scientific and technological, so there is no problem, simply unless a person will get a person in the end of practical experience over time.

I think that an example of higher education should be perceived by academic science. With the aim of fruitful interaction between Orthodox theology and modern science, it is necessary to create theological laboratories in physical, mathematical and biological institutions and practice scientific and practical theological seminars. Let the evolutionists and creationists together talk about the origin of species and seek the meaning of life. Without dwelling on this, you need to start financing the current fundamental theological programs of the Russian Academy of Sciences, or even swing to create a department of theology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, what the hell is not joking? This is the only way to raise Russia at the beginning of the third millennium - scientifically and spiritually!

Your Ivan Ekonomov