Science, Religion And Society

Science and Spirituality will have a kind of integration before year 2020. If you go through the cybernetic movement, theory of complexity and systems theory, it is evident that the ball started rolling some 60 years back.

There are two kinds of sciences. The analytical science(Vigyan) and the synthetic sciences (Pragyan). At present, the science which we study has tilted heavily towards analytical side with little emphasis on design. Even our thought process today is more towards analysis than design/synthesis.

Once we achieve a balance between analysis and synthesis, it would be easier for us to handle complexity and then we can connect science and spirituality.

We are just the microcosm of the great macrocosm but is the universal force a benevolent diety, a mere reflection of our egoistic projections or something so beyond our comphrension that we will continue to discover bit by bit for eternity?

I rather continue to believe the latter, its far more exciting

BTW, an awesome post

Sumanth:
I believe that the synthesis between science and spirituality is easily seen if one looks at it. I will touch upon this topic as we go on. But your thoughts on different ages is intriguing and interesting! I like it.

Deepti:
Understanding the broader concept of origin or Universal Energy is quite like understanding Time.

To answer the question when Time started.. you would naturally have to answer by saying "Time started.. " so essentially it will have to precede itself! Which means that Time (and causation in the current world) cannot be understood within its own dimension. you will need an additional dimension to chart out the beginning of Time.. as well as the "center" and "circumference" of the creation.

So.. this question becomes an oxymoron at once!

Thanks so much for your praise! I am newbie here.. so any good words from the veterans is always a motivation!

Cheers,
dkaps

Interesting article,

I very much disagree with the first thing you say will occur before the end of a society, "Emotion taking over Reason."

Emotion is often made the villian when comparing it with reason, though the fact is, reason is governed by emotion, or the desire of it at least. Everything we do, is either aimed at Happiness or Satisfaction, and reason just follows that.

The rationale behind idols, still stands true today, and so called 'western culture', and our own opponents of vedantism/hinduism always fix their sights on this without understanding it.

In terms of what should be taught about creation, and how, I would go with the way the International Baccalaureat(IB)does things, and not teach the scientific version of creation until having chosen biology as a subject, and also make it compulsory for all grade 11 and 12 students to do the TOK course. TOK stands for Theory of Knowledge, and is a course that discusses how and what we think (as well as feel, sense and 'know'), why we think it and how and why others might think in other ways.

It's exactly the kind of exploratory learning, that you talk about.

Morality as a roadblock to Spiritual Journey? I think i agree, but sounds like an interesting post anyway!

Rohit:

I am not trying to make idol worship a villain. I subscribe to Swami Vivekananda's version that Idol worship is the domain of spiritually evolving people in its infancy. They have not been able to go "inside" and try to look for representations outside. And just like it is rather facetious for an Old man to say that Youth was a sin.. it is as much facetious for someone who feels internal exploration is the way to spiritual union.

But what I really meant was that Bhakti Yoga is the realization that everything is the same... and so the love takes on an Omni-dimensional trait as opposed to just loving Jesus and hating others, as happens in the lovers of Christ (that epitome of Bhakti Yoga) today!

Now, when the Bhakti Yoga means love that is directed to just an idol.. and remains confines there as opposed to being all encompassing .. and then in turn becomes really sensitive to the point that one's deity becomes one's sole existence.. then emotionalism takes over the real Bhakti Yoga.. as well as reason.

I just think that Evolution is meaningless without Involution .. and vice versa. So both the camps are fighting a rhetorical battle!

The deficiency that I want to point out in my post, however, is the manner in which the Intelligence approach will be handled in practise. Which brings me to say, that when Jesus could not teach US the secret of Intelligence Design.. how can we teach that to our kids? Its like me going to sell the Taj Mahal!! :-)

Cheers,
dkaps

I'm assuming you meant Rohan, though I might be wrong.

I didn't mean that you were making Idol worship the villain at all, though it might've seemed that way. In fact, I agree with everything you've said in the last comment.

The 'villain' comment was aimed at this statement, "Emotion taking over from reason", implying that such a thing is bad....and i should've separated my subsequent idol comments. My bad.

It's another thing i've learnt from the TOK course, about how much we distrust emotion, as a way of knowledge, although in effect, supressing emotions is sort of like supressing free speech, within ourselves, and forcing ourselves to react 'reasonably'.

It could be argued that emotional reactions are the reasons behind fights, arguments, etc., but it's sort of a chicken and egg thing, where such fights and arguments occur only in a society where emotion is meant to be supressed.

It's a heady topic, and, not necessarily very relevant to vedantism or your post at all, just a misconception that, after realising it myself, have been trying to 'spread the word' ...

Must have been an interesting paper !

I think the reason that the Intelligent Design theory proves to be so controversial in the US, has less to do with the actual merits of the theory, and more to do with the merits of the theory vs. the evolution theory.

Scientists have no issues with personal beliefs in Intelligent Design. They do however resist the introduction of the idea as a 'theory' in schools, particulalry in cases where it strives to replace the evolution theory.

ash
i agree with you. i remember some heated discussion on how christians stole intelligent design after deepak chopra posted a blog on www.intentblog.com and huffington post.
the issue in the us is about teaching it in schools, which i disagree with.
the fact that scientists are discussing intelligent design just shows a natural evolution of ideas and thought. there have to be some people 'on the fringes' who begin the controversy to start the dialogue. we have to keep the scientists and philosophers separate from the christian fundamentalists...

Deepak Chopra filched from the Bhagvat Gita and hashed it all up!

Dkaps,

Excellent article. I picked this up from Blog Critics and had to see what the comments here were, hoping that I might learn something.

One physicist I know who teaches in town, Dr. Gerald Schroeder, writes books dealing with the convergence of science and religion. I will be forwarding your article to him, as it approaches his niche from a slightly different angle. The two of you might have interesting discussions with your differing perspectives to the same concept.

Ruvy in Jerusalem:

Thanks for the such nice comments! It will be a privilege to interact with Dr. Schroeder! Thanks so much! This is one subject that is very close to my heart!

Cheers,
dkaps.

Rohan:

I am sorry for addressing you incorrectly!

I agree with you on your comments! My only thought with putting Emotion inferior to reason was because even within Vedanta Emotion is said to be a by-product of attachment. When using Jnana you have reasoned that attachment is useless.. the emotions can no longer cloud your actions.

Just my take on it.. :-)

Thanks,
dkaps

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