Theocentrism is a conception of the world through which God is the main basis of all reality . From a semantic point of view, this word is formed by two concepts: Theo which means God or divinity; and Centrism which indicates a location in the center.
Theocentric positions or currents are typical of monotheistic religions, basically of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions, although it is also present in most religious approaches.
Theocentrism as an intellectual current is still in force today, but it is a view that had greater relevance in other historical times when scientific knowledge had not yet developed and consolidated.
Controversies about theocentrism
From the standpoint of evolutionism, all species in nature act through the mechanism of natural selection. In this way, evolutionism as a theory has been understood as a current contrary to theocentrism.
Some scientists consider that the explanation of the origin of the universe did not have the intervention of God (the Big Bang theory did not have divine participation ).
The Humanism was a current of thought that aspired to place the human being as the center of all reality. Therefore, humanism and theocentrism are understood as opposing theories. Humanism emerged in the historical context of the Renaissance and in opposition to theocentrism. Humanists advocated an opposite approach: anthropocentrism.
Theocentrism has important philosophical meanings, since all possible explanations of reality have as their main foundation the intervention of God
So for the defenders of this intellectual stance, morality , freedom and knowledge depend on God and, consequently, other explanations are considered invalid and understood as heresies. However, theocentrism can be presented in a moderate and tolerant version or from a fanatical and radical perspective.
The involvement of theocentrism goes beyond philosophy and science, since it cannot be forgotten that in ancient and medieval theocentrism the role of God was present in all orders (the king was God’s representative on Earth and some events that affected humans were conceived as divine punishments).
Some thinkers have tried to harmonize theocentrism with other scientific positions, in this way, the intervention of God does not exclude the explanation of the human being in any aspect of reality from a rigorous and scientific perspective (God is the creator of the entire universe, but his laws and principles can be studied independently of a creator’s idea).
