Creating a Dogmatic Theology based on General Systems Theory

Abstract

This research concerns the composition of a whole Dogmatic Theology, strictly according to the 10 irreducible properties of all open systems. The paradox faced by theologians is that the orthodox dogma of the Triune God, developed and defended in the creeds, articulates that He is a simple Being and therefore not composed of parts. All scientists1 (of which theologians are a particular kind) are preferred to interpret reality holistically, rather than reductively, by using concepts provided in the systems paradigm. However, if all we experience is composite systems and God is not composite then how do we properly understand Him and correctly articulate and defend the dogma concerning His Being (ousia) and Persons (hypóstases)? Conversely, what results when we apply systems categories to the dogma of creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing)? The central theoretical argument of this study is that a whole Dogmatic Theology can be composed using the 10 irreducible properties of General Systems Theory to organise the conceptual dogmatic 'parts'.