Neotheism is an evolving rationalist philosophical platform, which seeks to integrate scientific and religious worldviews. Within its framework, people from various confessions, or those who do not belong to any, can work together.
Neotheism is based on well-established scientific facts And theories about matter and life, the body of knowledge about humans and humanity, as well as notions of common sense.
The prefix neo- indicates a constant readiness to critically reconsider Premises and conclusions in light of new data and new ideas. We view the conclusions of neotheism not as once-and-for-all formulated 'truths', but as working hypotheses that can be relied upon as long as—and to the extent that—they withstand criticism."
Neotheism strives to develop a holistic worldview, where views on being (ontology) and on what ought to be (ethics) are aligned and complement each other. Therefore, the criteria for the truthfulness of a concept—its adequacy to reality—are not only the coherence of the overall picture, but also its beneficial social outcomes*
Neotheism embraces the basic monotheistic idea of God as the all-good First Principle, Creator of the Universe, and our Heavenly Father, who engages in dialogue with humanity and expects from it a growing understanding of His design and of Himself. Without this presumption, no mutual understanding with monotheistic religion is possible; yet it too remains open to criticism, refinement, and interpretation.
This idea does not contradict scientific understanding of the world. On the contrary—it has provided and continues to provide both a justification for the possibility of such understanding and an inspiring motivation to participate in the Creator’s design.*
It is no coincidence that the worldviews of the founders mathematical physics and nearly all of its greatest revolutionaries were not materialists, but in one way or another included the principle of a Higher Mind*.
It is widely recognized that science is limited by the framework of methodological materialism. We believe, however, that methodological materialism should not be transformed into ontological materialism. Such a substitution falsely presents ontological materialism as 'scientific', thereby introducing a bias incompatible with a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the world and of humanity.
The narrowness of methodological materialism is indicated by the fundamental properties of matter, life, and thought revealed by science itself:
● The mathematical simplicity of physical laws with their tuning not only for life, but also for cosmic intelligibility. The underlying 'cognitive minimax of physical law complexity' cannot be explained by the 'survivor’s bias', since survival does not require knowledge beyond the narrow bounds of the habitat.
● Gigantic leaps in complexity during the emergence and evolution of life—leaps that are impossible from the standpoint of all modern physics.*.
● Descartes’ psychophysical problem: The philosophical impossibility of reducing thought to laws and randomness is increasingly supported by scientific arguments.*
It is important to note that all this is not just a matter of 'minor gaps, that science is gradually closing," but rather vast gaping chasms that only widen as science progresses.
The fundamental presumption of neotheism opens the possibility for a holistic understanding of these most essential aspects of the Universe. Moreover, it is supported by the philosophical significance of logical, moral, and civilizational arguments for the existence of God. Of particular importance in this regard is The fact that the origins of natural science are spiritual and religious, rather than utilitarian and practical. In the neotheistic approach, the theological problem of evil—often viewed as an argument against the idea of a Heavenly Father—is instead understood as an argument in favor of such a conception.*
Thus, our position stands in opposition to
● as well as scientism (i.e., scientism—the belief that science alone is sufficient for understanding the world and humanity, a kind of 'scientific fanaticism'),
● and to the exaltation of naïve faith ( that is, the belief that sacred texts and religious tradition alone are sufficient to understand the world and the human being, a kind of 'religious fanaticism').
As growing children of the Creator, people are endowed with the freedom of moral and creative will. This places upon each of us a responsibility for the fate of creation, civilization, and our own destiny
In this light, we see our task as working toward a meaningful worldview in which religious, scientific, and other forms of knowledge find their place within the framework of rational philosophy. Our website is dedicated to this very purpose.
* See the website for individual articles explaining the terms and concepts marked with an asterisk.