Krisen der Lebenswelt und die Wissenschaften

Modern societies are described as being »information societies« based on scientific knowledge and applied techniques. However, confronted with alternative facts and post-factualism, the situation resembles much more a society losing its trust in science. Because theology operates on the borderline between knowing and believing, it takes a great interest in the present situation. This three-part article first recalls some important aspects of Husserl's concept of lifeworld as a world presupposed by the sciences, but nevertheless one being displaced and made invisible by scientific progress. Science itself depends on practices that are taken for granted and often accepted unquestioningly, therefore it reiterates lifeworld. The second part deals with insights from a sociological perspective where constructivism is a challenge for both society and the sciences; where gaps remain between scientific self-understanding and its public reception; where people's expectations of scientific experts do not coincide with what science actually knows, and where newly gained knowledge often heightens a lack of it. The article is rounded off by a reconsideration of Schleiermacher's theological encyclopedia and discussion of a differentiated organization of theological disciplines that would not dissolve the unity of theological enterprise.