Purpose and Meaning of the System of Sciences

Tillich discusses the “Meaning and Value of the System of Sciences” in the Preface and General Foundations sections of the SOS. (Page references are to the English translation of the text.}

Key points made for the value of a “Science of the Sciences” include:

1. A starting point of all knowledge: “I became convinced that a system of the sciences is not only the goal but also the starting point of all knowledge.” (Preface, p.17)
2. To be known is to be assigned: “In order for an object to be known, it must be assigned its necessary place within a context.“ (General Foundations, p.29)
3. Distinguishing the branches of the sciences: “The organization of the sciences depends, first of all, on the variety of objects of knowledge. It is of the highest material significance to discover how the different branches of science are distinguished from each other.” (General Foundations, p.31.)
4. A task for every generation: “A detailed system of knowledge is an ideal, not a conceivable reality. Yet what is both possible and necessary for every generation is a formal system of knowledge in which one becomes conscious of the realm governed by the spirit, of the objects within this realm.” (General Foundations, p.31.)
5. The relations between objects and methods: “The methods by which knowledge grasps objects corresponds to the objects themselves. Therefore, the most important task of the system of the sciences is to determine the relation between methods and objects.” (General Foundations, p.31.)

Therefore, the title A System of Sciences* *according to Objects and Methods.

More Context

New (2020) Publication from De Gruyter: Ein unbekannter Systementwurf Paul Tillichs. Zur Entstehungsgeschichte von Tillichs Das System der Wissenschaften nach Gegenständen und Methoden

From the Abstract: By the end of April 1923, Paul Tillich’s Das System der Wissenschaften nach Gegenständen und Methoden (1981: The System of the Sciences according to Objects and Methods) was published by the German publishing house Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht in Göttingen. Based on numerous source documents from the publishers’ archives and particularly on the correspondence between the publishers Wilhelm and Gustav Ruprecht, hitherto unknown but now edited and commented on here, the present article explains that Tillich wrote his System of the Sciences primarily for the publisher.