Abstract

The late modern view that science and the humanities, including the study of religion, occupy separate territories and pursue different aims persists to this day. The purpose of this work is to add to the growing discussion which seeks to reconnect the natural sciences and the humanities through an exploration of the theories of understanding offered by physicist Werner Heisenberg and philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer. As it is guided by general principles of authentic dialogue, this exploration unfolds important correspondences between those theories with regard to human nature and the nature of the world around us. The significance of this rests on the fact that their respective theories have different points of origin: Heisenberg's theory has its basis in the world of science, and Gadamer's theory isolates itself from any connection to that world. The investigation concludes that the natural sciences and the human sciences share essentially the same scope: both lead to an understanding of that reality and truth which underlies all differentiation of human interest