Originality of Science and Religion: The Fundamental Human Question

This paper critically examines the epistemic status of science and religion with respect to originality. It argues that both domains, rather than originating from purely fundamental inquiry, largely function as reactive systems shaped by historical, empirical, and existential conditions. Scientific knowledge develops through responses to anomalies within prior theoretical frameworks, while religious systems emerge as interpretive responses to existential uncertainty and the human search for meaning. The paper proposes that beneath these structured systems lies a more primary form of inquiry—referred to here as the “fundamental human question”—which is neither derived from empirical observation nor doctrinal authority, but arises intrinsically within conscious experience. This inquiry represents a non-reactive ground of knowledge and challenges conventional distinctions between scientific and religious modes of understanding.