Day 192 MAN AND THE UNIVERSE OF CREATED THINGS The biblical vision inspires the behaviour of Christians in relation to their use of the earth, and also with regard to the advances of science and technology. The Second Vatican Council affirmed that man “judges rightly that by his intellect he surpasses the material universe, for he shares in the light of the divine mind”. The Council Fathers recognized the progress made thanks to the tireless application of human genius down the centuries, whether in the empirical sciences, the technological disciplines or the liberal arts. Today, “especially with the help of science and technology, man has extended his mastery over nearly the whole of nature and continues to do so”. For man, “created in Gods image, received a mandate to subject to himself the earth and all that it contains, and to govern the world with justice and holiness, a mandate to relate himself and the totality of things to him who was to be acknowledged as the Lord and Creator of all. Thus, by the subjection of all things to man, the name of God would be wonderful in all the earth. [The Council teaches that] throughout the course of the centuries, men have laboured to better the circumstances of their lives through a monumental amount of individual and collective effort. To believers, this point is settled: considered in itself, this human activity accords with Gods will”. The results of science and technology are, in themselves, positive. “Far from thinking that works produced by mans own talent and energy are in opposition to Gods power, and that the rational creature exists as a kind of rival to the Creator, Christians are convinced that the triumphs of the human race are a sign of Gods grace and the flowering of His own mysterious design”. The Council Fathers also emphasize the fact that “the greater mans power becomes, the farther his individual and community responsibility extends”, and that every human activity is to correspond, according to the design and will of God, to humanitys true good. In this regard, the Magisterium has repeatedly emphasized that the Catholic Church is in no way opposed to progress, rather she considers “science and technology are a wonderful product of a God-given human creativity, since they have provided us with wonderful possibilities, and we all gratefully benefit from them”. For this reason, “as people who believe in God, who saw that nature which he had created was ‘good, we rejoice in the technological and economic progress which people, using their intelligence, have managed to make”. The Magisteriums considerations regarding science and technology in general can also be applied to the environment and agriculture. The Church appreciates “the advantages that result — and can still result — from the study and applications of molecular biology, supplemented by other disciplines such as genetics and its technological application in agriculture and industry”. In fact, technology “could be a priceless tool in solving many serious problems, in the first place those of hunger and disease, through the production of more advanced and vigorous strains of plants, and through the production of valuable medicines”. It is important, however, to repeat the concept of “proper application”, for “we know that this potential is not neutral: it can be used either for mans progress or for his degradation”. For this reason, “it is necessary to maintain an attitude of prudence and attentively sift out the nature, end and meansof the various forms of applied technology”. Scientists, therefore, must “truly use their research and technical skill in the service of humanity”, being able to subordinate them “to moral principles and values, which respect and realize in its fullness the dignity of man”.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 00:21:42 +0000