MA Christian Studies of Science and Society

Characterization of the program

At the Vrije Universiteit there is a long-standing tradition of Christian philosophical thinking and debate, which concentrates on a critical analysis of various contemporary issues:

• presuppositions and consequences of the empirical sciences and related technologies;
• the ideological background of political and social developments;
• the rise of instrumentalism in various professions, like health care and social work.

At present these areas display urgent problems that raise challenging questions at a world view level, both in Northern and in Southern countries.
For example, in the empirical sciences and related technologies physicalism still prevails. It determines the basic assumptions of many scientists in evolutionary biology, genetics, nanotechnology, bio-technology, informationtechnology and technology based on cognitive sciences but also in professions like medicine and psycho-therapy. However, the question is whether this approach can do justice to the integrity and wholeness of human existence and human experience.
In the field of politics and society one can point to the precarious situation of the relationship between democracy and rule of law in many countries, and in general the rapidly changing position of the modern state in a globalizing world and, in its wake, the rise of both civil society and various manifestations of fundamentalism. There is still a disturbingly big rift between the Northern 'have's' and the Southern 'have-nots'. A new vision of justice and shalom is urgently called for.

In many professions, not least in health care and social work, people struggle how to relate professional interventions to ethical principles, in particular to the autonomy of the patient/client. At the same time professionals have the feeling that their profession becomes only a matter of techniques, procedures and prices, not of care and inspiration. 
With regard to these problems, the Christian philosophical perspective, developed at the Vrije Universiteit over many years, has a unique contribution to offer. The Master program 'Christian Studies of Science and Society' aims to provide students from around the world with an opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge of this tradition of Christian thought and to actively participate in its ongoing actualization and application in the face of ever newly emerging challenges.
To that end the program has an interdisciplinary design, involving not only philosophy and philosophers but also various human and natural sciences and scientists.