Science in the Apophatic Horizon

Abstract

The word “apophaticism” has a long tradition. It expresses a cognitive principle that allows us to approach the study of the processes of nature through negation. Supporters of apophaticism believe that any theoretical discovery should not be regarded as exhaustive. It should rather be interpreted as a sign of the hidden, as an indication of the possible depth of new problems. The principle of negation in this case serves as a warning against a simple initial interpretation of the topic. This is how Dionysius the Areopagite understood this word. He argued that there are two ways of knowing God: the first way is through positive definitions of God (“Almighty”, “Omnipresent”, “Good”), the second way is through the denial of all predicates as inaccurate or false. From the apophatic point of view, to get the true image of God it is necessary discard all the answers that claim to know God. As a result, thinkers get an answer to the question “What God is not?” In this way emerges the true image of God. Born in theology, apophaticism penetrated into philosophy and science. It reflected on the interpretation of the Universe, on the idea of the true image of man. Modern researchers call the apophatic knowledge the main method of the science of the XXI century. In postmodernism apophatic method is becoming increasingly popular as a reaction to the apparent failure of claims to absolute knowledge.