Abstract

Since the eighteenth century, discussions of the relationship of natural science and religion have generally been driven by a fideism which seeks to separate strictly each of these human pursuits. This contrasts sharply with the synthetic approach of medieval scholastic philosophers who sought to integrate scientific research, metaphysics, and theology into a unified wisdom. The story of this historical shift is complex and, when fully told, will no doubt include contributions of historians of religion as well as historians of science and philosophy. Kusukawa’s study of the natural philosophy of the Lutheran humanist Philip Melanchthon provides some insight into what may be one of the origins of modern fideism.