This article argues that Thomas Kuhn's landmark work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, has not been adequately explored by theologians and scholars in the field of science and religion. While many cite Kuhn to suggest that science and religion share structural similarities, I contend that his work is crucial in addressing current debates about the definitions of ‘science’ and ‘religion’ and the potential for intellectual progress between them. Kuhn's framework provides more than a justification for adhering to incommensurable worldviews; it offers a nuanced understanding of how science and religion interact and the significance of tacit knowledge in scientific practice. This article explains Kuhn's focus on exemplars in his philosophy of science, which underpin his argument for key differences between science and theological inquiry. The article concludes that Kuhn's pluralistic view of truth offers theologians an opportunity to engage more deeply with science, rather than sidestepping it entirely.

This paper focuses on one scientific aspect of eco-theology, which I argue has not yet received sufficient attention either within public discussion or from theologians, namely, that of biodiversity. Given the entanglement between biodiversity loss, climate change, and poverty, understanding the biological context is significant ethically quite irrespective of the presuppositions of different philosophical approaches to eco-theology. After beginning with a more general argument for why it is important for theologians and theological ethicists to engage with and understand different aspects of the relevant science, I will then survey scientific accounts of current biodiversity loss, including arguments for its relevance to social justice questions. I then provide an outline of the first steps towards a theological ethic on biodiversity, drawing on the insights of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ and Thomas Aquinas’ understanding of the ecologically relevant virtues of practical wisdom and mercy.