“Intellige ut credas, crede ut intellegas.”
(‘I understand in order to believe, I believe, in order to understand’)
– St. Augustine
Sounds like how I science works::
- “I believe, in order to understand.”
In science, you start with a hypothesis or theory — a reasoned guess that you don’t fully understand yet. You have to take it seriously enough to test it, even without complete proof at the beginning. That’s like an act of intellectual trust in the idea: “Let’s assume this is true and see where it leads.” - “I understand, the better to believe.”
As you run experiments, gather data, and see patterns, you begin to understand whether the theory works. That new understanding then makes you either believe more strongly in your theory (if the evidence supports it) or refine it (if the evidence shows gaps).
So the cycle of faith–reason in theology has a parallel in the cycle of hypothesis–evidence in science. Both involve:
- starting with trust in something not yet fully proven,
- testing or reflecting to gain deeper understanding, and
- letting that new understanding reinforce or refine the original belief/theory.