"Education based on religious values, the restoration of man as the ultimate source — this is the task of the 21st century"

Biographies of many outstanding St Petersburg University academics reveal the harmony between faith and reason in their lives and professional activities. Today, St Petersburg University’s lecturers and scholars are actively involved in the development of various research areas, and the establishment of the Institute of Theology marks a new stage in the intellectual life of the University. The Institute is to become a new platform for interaction between university lecturers in theology of Eastern Orthodoxy and other traditional religions of the Russian Federation regarding research and teaching methods. 

There is a stereotype in our society that faith and science cannot collaborate, but is this really the case? 

Nun Longina: Indeed, many people today believe that "faith and science cannot work together"; that they are "incompatible and completely non-overlapping fields of human inquiry". Some even believe that "science and religion are inherently at odds". Such views, however, are rather superficial. If we allow ourselves to delve into the essence of the issue, we will see that religion and science have been complementary to each other, addressing the same reality from different perspectives. Science and religion are not in contradiction — they are meant to be in a constructive and mutually beneficial dialogue. After all, they affect the two most important spheres of human life: spiritual and material. Unless of course, we are willing to reduce the human being to just a material and physical creature without any spiritual needs. It is worthwhile recalling here that our scientists Mikhail Lomonosov, Alexander Radishchev and many others also discussed the immortality of the soul and the relationship between soul and body. 

Science strives to acquire objective knowledge of the surrounding world, nature, man, and society, using the scientific methods, seeking to meet the natural, material needs of human beings in order that people live as well and comfortably as possible in this world. Today, we can enjoy the advantages of civilisation more than ever before and reap the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, such as: cars; mobile phones; the internet; airplanes; and air-conditioners to name but a few. Modern medicine has achieved great heights. However, material things are not all that a human being needs. 

Religion and theology, on the other hand, address and seek to meet our existential and spiritual needs. They aim to help man to know himself, his place in this world through the knowledge of God the Creator and Provider. Every thinking person, including a scholar, sooner or later asks himself or herself existential questions. Why do I live? What is the meaning of my existence? Why should I do science (or any other activity)? What will happen after my death? What is love, conscience, homeland, family, etc? We cannot but agree that neither mathematics, nor physics, nor other natural sciences give us answers to these questions! 

Nun Paisia: In fact, religion and science complement each other in acquiring knowledge of the world and man. Science deals with the natural world, whereas religion is concerned with the supernatural world, as it manifested in the natural world of man. Man uses reason not only in practical and research activities, but also in religious and theological activities, when acquiring knowledge of God and Self and describing his experience. Religious cognition is mostly based on the laws of Revelation and spiritual experience, while scientific cognition is based on the laws obtained through experimentation with the help of human cognitive faculties of observation, analysis, memory, etc. 

Today, humanity faces epistemological challenges posed by the rapid technological development; new discoveries in quantum physics, astronomy, and genetics; the emergence of so-called artificial intelligence and virtual reality. In philosophy, these challenges are reflected in the idea of postmodernism seeking to prove that not only the idea of God is dead, but also the subject of any activity is dead as well. Whereas scholars are getting closer and closer to the existential, deeply personal questions of our existence — for instance, when confronted with the observer effect. For some reason, while trying to enhance the human living conditions, mankind is increasingly in need of psychological guidance in its daily activities. In this context, theology, with its interdisciplinary potential, should have a say in searching for the meaning of the aforementioned multiplying challenges of the modern age. 

Theology is an integral part of the academic world. As a matter of fact, St Petersburg Imperial University was known for its theological school. Mikhail Lomonosov, Ivan Pavlov and many other great scholars were people of faith. Their belief in God did not hinder their advancements in science. What do you think about this? 

Nun Longina: Theology as a science is, indeed, an integral part of the academic world. We know that in medieval universities, which emerged from the medieval monasteries, there were three main faculties: of medicine; law; and philosophy, and at the head of them was the faculty of theology. It was only in the Middle Ages that medicine and jurisprudence became recognised as sciences. Previously, they were considered applied disciplines. 

Nun Paisia: This year, St Petersburg University is celebrating its 300th anniversary. As we know, there were plans to establish a faculty of theology at St Petersburg University soon after its inception in 1724. Yet, unlike the European universities used as a model for St Petersburg University, the faculty of theology was not opened at the University back then. Nonetheless, Eastern Orthodox faith and culture were undoubtedly present at the Academic University; the Academic Gymnasium; the Teachers’ Seminary; and later at the Pedagogical Institute, which was established at the beginning of the 19th century. 

The Department of Theology appeared in 1816 — among the 21 departments of the Main Pedagogical Institute, as the University was called from 1804 until its official reestablishment in 1819. It is also known that the University Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the Twelve Collegia building was consecrated on the Patronal Festival service held on 29 June (12 July) 1837. The Russian poet Alexander Blok was baptised at the University Church, and his formal betrothal to Lyubov Mendeleeva, the daughter of the famous chemist, took place there. 

The Department of Theology was closed in 1918. In the 1990s, in post-Soviet Russia, the University’s Department of Atheism at the Faculty of Philosophy was rearranged into the Department of Philosophy of Religion and Religious Studies, thus opening an opportunity to study the legacy of religion in a secular academic space. Since then, work has been underway to establish a Faculty of Theology at St Petersburg University. 

In August 2022, the Institute of Theology was established at St Petersburg University. Professor Dmitrii Shmonin, Doctor of Science (Philosophy), Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal "Issues of Theology", Chairman of the Higher Assessment Committee Expert Council for Theology, was appointed Director of the Institute of Theology. A number of cooperation agreements were signed between St Petersburg University and the St Petersburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Currently, St Petersburg University offers three doctoral programmes in theology: historical, practical, and theoretical. Each of them has four research areas: Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, and Protestantism. 

How can science and theology work together and enrich each other? What can they achieve together? 

Nun Longina: Theology and science should certainly work together. Historically, this was the case. The era of Synodal rule in Russia ended with the separation of church and state. To this day, we have been reaping the fruits of that reform. Today, the word "teacher" has lost much of its meaning and is perceived as a "provider" of educational material. The importance of a teacher’s personality is losing its value. 

Nowadays, education is understood as an accumulation of a certain set of knowledge, but as Heraclitus of Ephesus said, ‘much knowledge does not teach the mind’. This phrase of the ancient Greek philosopher clearly shows that even in the ancient world, the concept of the mind went beyond intellectual awareness, which, unfortunately, not only does not nurture a person’s cultural growth, but can also have a detrimental effect on his or her spiritual and moral development. 

Theology and education need to be brought together again — through the Russian language and literature, history, arts and various other disciplines. If a primary school teacher knows that Ilya Muromets is not just a fictional hero of Russian bylinas, if it is obvious to a history teacher that Prince Alexander Nevsky, Prince Dmitry Donskoy, the Russian Imperial family, and many other prominent historical figures are people venerated as saints, then history can be taught from a different, deeper perspective. Unfortunately, this is not done in our schools. 

Nun Paisia: As you said, many great scholars were deeply religious people and their belief in God was not a hindrance to their research work. The same is true for many distinguished scholars of the modern era. For example, Russian physicist, academician Boris Rauschenbach, one of the founders of the Soviet space programme, reflected on the relationship between science and religion and on the synthesis of religious and scientific knowledge systems. In particular, he wrote a small treatise on the vector as a symbol of the Holy Trinity. 

In our opinion, science and theology can and should work together. Nun Longina has already mentioned the relationship between theology and education. No doubt, not only the era of Synodal rule, but also the seventy years of atheism left an imprint on our society and culture. And at present, faculties of theology in institutions of higher education are first of all to provide platforms for dialogue between students and teachers. 

In our society, there are numerous misconceptions and stereotypes about religious people, the Church, priests, and monastic life. For example, believers, priests and monks are stereotyped as beings of different kind, who do not eat, sleep, laugh, etc. In our opinion, faculties of theology, where it will be possible to meet educated religious people, including priests of different denominations, will help to expand intellectual and cultural horizons of each person. 

Ultimately, science and religion can achieve excellent results, while mutually enriching each other. Theology can expand the future scholars’ outlook. Knowledge of the fundamental principles of Eastern Orthodox culture and other traditional religions of the Russian Federation can help scholars in their daily activities and research work, providing them with certain epistemological criteria. Contemporary theologians, on the other hand, can find the scientific method and communication with secular scholars helpful in dealing with the challenges that life poses to theology today. 

How did you decide to become a scholar and what influenced your choice of a dissertation topic? 

Nun Longina: While at university, I became a volunteer at the Serafim Vyritsky Children’s Mission charitable foundation, which helps children deprived of parental care. Over time, the Mission opened "Volunteering Courses" aimed at preparing potential volunteers to work with children in orphanages. One of the subjects that volunteers are taught is ‘Dogmatic Theology’. At the end of the course, the spiritual advisors at the Mission suggested that I should enrol in the master’s programme "Theology of Education and Church Education Policy" at the Russian Christian Academy for Humanities. There I met Nun Paisia. Later, we completed a doctoral programme in theology there. 

Nun Paisia: My story is similar. I was a 20-year-old student at the Faculty of Economics at St Petersburg University when I had to face worldview questions head-on. Gradually, I began to go to Russian Orthodox services, attend confession and receive communion. I felt I would like to know more about our faith, so I started attending evening Orthodox courses for lay people at 42 Liteyny Prospekt. Then, the Lord enabled me to meet Bishop Kirill and Hegumen Methodius (Zinkovskiis), who suggested that I should enrol in the master’s programme in theology at the Russian Christian Academy for Humanities. The Department of Theology there was headed by Professor Dmitrii Shmonin. It was there that I met Nun Longina. I must confess, at the time, I didn’t expect it to be so serious — I mean that I would have to write a master’s thesis. I thought it would be similar to the Orthodox courses, where we listened to a series of lectures and that was it. It was only during the first exam session that I realised what I was doing there and that I had to take my studies seriously. That was how my first steps in research began. The teachers in the master’s programme were very interesting, intelligent and religious people and scholars. There were many mature people in our group. Some of them were priests, and during breaks, we talked. All in all, there was a very positive and cordial atmosphere in the programme under the supervision of Professor Dmitrii Shmonin. 

When we completed the master’s programme, a postgraduate course in theology was opened at the Russian Christian Academy for Humanities. On the counsel of our spiritual advisors, we continued our scholarly activities. During our postgraduate studies, we had lectures, seminars and exam sessions, but the main focus of our efforts was working on the doctoral dissertation, collecting material and analysing it. I continued my study of Orthodox anthropology. My research interests focused on Russian philosophers and theologians of the 20th century, who are often referred to as personalists, Leibnizians and neo-Leibnizians. It was incredibly interesting to analyse their works. Firstly, to find out why these philosophers are called "personalists" and whether there are any points of intersection between Russian personalism and the theology of personality, since both directions study the "person" or "personality". 

In your research, you explore one of the fundamental concepts in the field of science — the concept of personality. Emerging technologies and digitalisation pose new challenges to humanity. There have been debates about the benefits and harms of artificial intelligence. In your opinion, is there a danger in equating a machine with a person or AI will always need a human being? 

Nun Paisia: Indeed, the concept of personality, in our opinion, has enormous relevance in the present-day world. Currently, anthropological questions have become pointed for all people, including Eastern Orthodox theologians. To a greater or lesser extent, the concept of personality concerns the development of bioengineering; reproductive technologies; bio- and nanotechnologies; digitalisation; and cyborgisation of society. We see that virtually all fields of human endeavour are ultimately related to how we understand human beings and what semantic field we associate this concept with. 

We hold a view that the explanation of the human personality given by the famous 20th-century theologian Vladimir Lossky, who focused on "irreducibility of a person to nature", is one of the most accurate to date. The personality of each individual person can never be described by any natural characteristics. It will always elude our attempts to grasp it through a set of attributes. 

As for artificial intelligence, we must understand that it is a misnomer. There is no intelligence as such in AI, as they try to present it to us. Of course, there are powerful computing software, neural networks that are capable of collecting and processing a large amount of data. The speed of their operations is enormous, but in many ways their capabilities are still limited. We still do not know how our human intelligence works; how our intellectual thinking is organised; or how our human brain works. Academician Natalia Bekhtereva said that the human brain is more complex than the whole universe. And to this day, researchers are still trying to unravel this "universe". 

From a theological perspective, a machine can never become a person, because it was created by man. In our view, however capable a machine might be, it still cannot exist without a human being. Proponents of the evolutionary theory believe that consciousness is a product of evolution — it arose "on its own" and developed during a super long evolutionary process. If that had been the case, then perhaps AI could become a person at some point. However, from the viewpoint of theological anthropology, consciousness is not a product of evolution. To comprehend this, a theological point of view is essential! 

Furthermore, questions arise about who makes this or that machine or software and for what purpose. There always will be a human being, a customer and a contractor behind the technology, however advanced and powerful it may be. And, in our opinion, education and upbringing, especially higher education, including theological education in the framework of higher education, should help future generations to build good relations with each other and teach them how to properly manage and use the products of technological progress, one of which is artificial intelligence. 

Nun Longina: I agree with Nun Paisia. Artificial intelligence can never exist without humans, and God willing, humans will retain their autonomy from AI! Some scholars, among them a renowned neurolinguist and cognitive scientist Tatiana Chernigovskaya, express concerns about the development of artificial intelligence on the grounds that it may become conscious. The Eastern Orthodox theology, however, denies such possibility, since only a person possesses consciousness, and the personality in man is a key characteristic of the image of God. Artificial intelligence will never be able to possess human capacity for love, sacrifice, responsibility, repentance, and prayer. Humans can make decisions that exceed their natural faculties, because the human personality is meta-natural, while the artificial intelligence is not and will never be. AI only works according to the program within the framework designed by humans, even if there is a huge range of tasks and methods to solve them. 

It is also important to note that from a theological viewpoint, man was created as "a collective Adam", that is as "a human" in a collective sense as "mankind". Hence, all humans are equal among ourselves and interconnected, and we all have a single nature. Artificial intelligence does not have that. AI has intellectual capacity. Using artificial intelligence, it is possible to create a double, a copy of a person. We will be able to distinguish it from the real person only if we have heartfelt attention and spiritual sensitivity — the culture of the spirit that theology teaches us. Will we ever be able to realise in practice the unity of the human being that was laid down by the Creator? Much depends on us. 

Nun Paisia: The development of artificial intelligence does pose new challenges for the present-day Eastern Orthodox theologians. For example, we have to answer the questions of: what is information; what is knowledge; and what is decision-making from a theological point of view. Nun Longina has already mentioned the issue of decision-making. In early March 2024, Father Methodius spoke at the conference held at the Sretensky Theological Academy in Moscow. In his presentation "Theology of Decision-Making and Artificial Intelligence", he said that artificial intelligence as a machine could not make decisions that are not initiated (laid down) by a human being. Only man is capable of unpredictable and non-standard solutions. These and many other challenges are now facing theologians, who try to address them not only in theological schools, but also in secular universities in the departments of theology that are being opened all over Russia. 

A worldview is shaped and influenced by philosophy, sociology, history, political science, and other academic disciplines. Do you think that theology, using an interdisciplinary approach, can help to imbue them with traditional values because it articulates the fundamental values of our culture in the clearest and most accessible way? 

Nun Longina: Yes, absolutely. I think that theology opens new horizons and expands our consciousness. No other field of knowledge possesses these qualities. No matter how high science is, it cannot penetrate into the profound mysteries of human personality and life. True, values-based education, associated with taking into your heart and mind the basic moral principles, enables you to properly appreciate and make use of the scientific knowledge acquired. The theology of education provides a stable foundation for this. 

The secularisation of education, briefly mentioned above, creates a very subjective, truncated understanding of culture and moral standards. Hence, we are witnessing a distorted "modernisation" of children’s upbringing by breaking away from the traditions of the past and highest moral values. 

Our society needs to develop a theological framework for education. This will enhance the education system and help in developing a harmonious personality. Education based on religious values, the restoration of man as the ultimate source, is the task of the 21st century. 

Thus, when we consider the future of our Motherland and the world as a whole, it is imperative that we should teach theology in schools and universities. As for pre-school educational institutions, children need to be taught core values, love, mercy and other such virtues in a manner appropriate to their age. 

Nun Paisia: I agree with Nun Longina. From our stand point, theology connects different associated disciplines by value matrices, worldview and methodological framework. Unlike religious or cultural studies, theology is distinctly confessional. Theology is based on religious teachings and contains the unshakable foundations of being, which can help the contemporary man not only in research, but also in everyday life, as we discussed above. 

Could you please share your opinion about your dissertation defence? Is it difficult to defend a dissertation at St Petersburg University according to its own rules? How was the procedure organised? 

Nun Paisia: We would like to express our deep gratitude to St Petersburg University for organising our dissertation defences under the University’s own terms. It is a great honour for us to defend our dissertations at one of the leading universities in Russia. As far as I know, as of today, five dissertations in theology have been defended at St Petersburg University under the University’s own terms: three Dissertations for the Candidate of Theology degree and two doctoral dissertations for the Doctor of Theology degree. 

According to the St Petersburg University’s rules, the Dissertation Council is established for each specific defence, taking into account the area of study and the subject matter. We would like to thank the members of the Dissertation Council headed by Professor Dmitrii Shmonin for their interest in our research work. The Dissertation Councils included: Protodeacon Vladimir Vasilik, Professor of St Petersburg University; Dmitriy Golovushkin, Professor of Herzen University; Mikhail Orlov, Professor of Sts Cyril and Methodius’ Church Postgraduate and Doctoral School; Roman Svetlov, Professor of St Petersburg Theological Academy; Rosalia Rupova, Professor of Moscow Orthodox Theological Academy; and Professor Kalimash Begalinova, Professor of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (as a foreign member of the Dissertation Council). Each member of the Dissertation Council wrote a review of our dissertations and personally participated in the dissertation defence meeting. We received comments and feedback, which will be exceptionally valuable for us in our further research endeavours. 

Also, we would like to thank all the staff of the Dissertation Department of St Petersburg University, in particular, our supervisor Natalia Rubtsova and Irina Alekseeva for their help in preparing paperwork. 

Nun Longina: In our opinion — and all members of our Dissertation Council agreed with us — theses defences are very well organised. Those who participated in the Dissertation Council meetings at St Petersburg University for the first time observed how efficiently the defence procedure was organised. We had a wonderful supervisor — Natalia Rubtsova. She promptly and effectively answered all our numerous queries. Professor Dmitrii Shmonin, Chairman of the Council, was also always contactable. 

What are your plans now after your dissertation defences? Are you planning to continue your research activities? 

Nun Longina: There are some research gaps that I would like to investigate. I could not explore them properly in my dissertation. I hope I will be able to return to these topics in future. 

Nun Paisia: Due to the growing interest in the concept of personality and in Eastern Orthodox anthropology in general, we plan to further our research. Today more than ever before, the Church and the state need young scholars who can respond to the challenges of our time.