The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture WOF 519: The Queen of the Sciences (8 of 12)
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Dec 8, 2025 Dive into the intriguing idea that theology reigns as the 'queen of the sciences.' Discover how removing theology from academia shifts the focus to physical sciences, impacting culture and art. Explore the flourishing of music and art under religious influence and the dangers of disciplines claiming authority beyond their scope. Bishop Barron argues for theology's central role in education, emphasizing the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake and the importance of a liberal education for mental health.
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Theology As Organizing Science
- John Henry Newman argues theology belongs at the center of the university as the organizing science.
- Removing theology lets another discipline implicitly claim primacy and reshape all fields.
Vacuum Replaced By Science
- Newman warns that "nature abhors a vacuum": displace theology and something else will take its central role.
- Robert Barron notes the physical sciences have filled that center in modern times, reshaping what counts as real.
Cosmos Example Of Scientism
- Barron recalls watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos as a child and feeling the program's science encomium was overreaching.
- He connects that tone to Newman's 19th-century worry about science becoming the final arbiter.
