Knowledge For Love
Franciscan Science as the Pursuit of Wisdom
Keith Douglass Warner, OFM, PhD
9781576592915
86 pages
The Franciscan Institute
Overview
This essay extends the retrieval of the Franciscan intellectual tradition into the sciences by presenting the vocation and work of three Franciscan scientists. Friar Bartholomew the Englishman taught his fellow Franciscans with the best available scientific knowledge to prepare them for preaching in foreign lands. Friar Roger Bacon conducted research into the natural world to advance scientific knowledge in service of the Church. Friar Bernardino de Sahagún investigated the life, worldview and culture of the Aztec peoples in New Spain (now Mexico) to interpret these for his fellow Franciscans. In the Franciscan tradition, learning about nature helps one grow in wisdom, and thus Franciscan science is knowledge for love. This essay argues that the retrieval of our Franciscan intellectual tradition could and should include the sciences.
Author Bio
Keith Douglass Warner, OFM, is a Franciscan Friar and coordinates Santa Clara University’s new undergraduate curriculum and new Engineering graduate minor in the Center for Science, Technology and Society. He works closely with faculty to develop STS teaching capacity. Keith has an MA in Spirituality from the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, and a PhD in Environmental Studies from University of California Santa Cruz. Keith researches how institutions blend science, policy and human values for environmental protection initiatives. You can find some of his publications at: webpages.scu.edu/ftp/kwarner/agecobc.htm. Keith also writes about the role of scientific knowledge in the Greening of Religions, and is beginning a research project to examine how scientists and religious leaders negotiate divergent cosmologies and moral visions in religious biodiversity protection partnerships.
