Feb 15, 2018
Science Vs. Spirituality — Mutually Exclusive?
Richard Dawkins’ — Science in the Soul, and Paul Gaugin’s painting above, have me reweighing my views about my faith in Science and continued identification with Spirituality.
I am pondering how is it that I am addicted to Science, yet seek my own path into the future referring to Scripture?
There is an eternal need within the human, to understand through scientific process — how things are the way they are, why and how everything works, and know things to be as such, through empirical studies.
Science by virtue of experiment conducted under specific conditions, is a work-in-progress, defining theories and redefining new ones with corollaries. As modern humans, we all hunger for greater knowledge of science, to feel grounded with scientific backing and fact.
Our incredible ambitions have moved science into realms we couldn’t have described only a score and few years ago. Physics with its ability to conceptualize the abstract via Metaphysics, lends itself to Ontology, going into the realm of existence, cause and effect, and possibilities beyond life and the Universe.
Why the hunger behind a work-in-progress?
Speaking to an example every person can relate to: Pluto a “dwarf planet” today, has lost its status as a full-fledged planet, not having cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. As we know more, we re-evaluate; we re-categorize. Knowledge moves our understanding from simpler to more complex.
Science isn’t a done deal. It’s always hovering along the bleeding edge opening the doorway to the adjacent possible. It is setting the stage near areas ripe for greater leaps. As shared above, from simpler to more complex, it’s building on prior knowledge. I learnt this from Cal Newport and this is well demonstrated in technologies that have sprung out of the Internet, the Cloud, or the Smart Phone. Science leaves us hungry wanting to know more.
Why adjacent possibility?
The First Machine Age (mechanical revolution) augmented our muscles; the Second Machine Age (digital revolution) augments our minds. The Second Machine Age made its advent on the backs of the First Machine Age. I think of the company — Waze: This technology could be possible only with the incremental inventions of the Internet, the Cell Phone/Tablets, GPS, Basemaps, Wireless Tech, Bluetooth, Automobile Navigation Systems, Navigable Databases… Waze leveraged the Digital Revolution, crowd-sourcing data from automobile drivers to create the best real-time navigable maps in the world.
Science has us building on our strengths, our prior progress — and it will continue doing this in all realms of human knowledge and understanding.
***
But, big questions from time immemorial, remain — why are humans here? Where are we headed? Is there life after death? Is there a soul? The quest for a sense of peace, direction and answers to these questions, which cannot wait for science, has turned us humans toward ‘spirituality,’ attempting to fill this hollow.
Additionally, our pushing the frontiers of Science, Technology and Genetics, and the really short half-life of technologies, brings a sense of unease. Neither the laws, nor countless studies of the possible consequences of our nature-changing technologies, nor human systems, can keep pace with the scientific and technological developments of today!
Artificial Intelligence and Genetic Engineering in particular, have pressed for greater clarity of the big unanswered questions. We are in the Bio Century.
Both technologies are poised to move us into a new epoch and very likely, a new eon — the Antropocene. [This web-page indicates: “ As of August 2016, neither the International Commission on Stratigraphy nor the International Union of Geological Sciences has yet officially approved the term as a recognized subdivision of geological time,[3][5][6].”] As dominant humans, we are changing our only home — our planet, by ourselves, without help from natural or external forces in the Universe. And, we can’t clearly see nor define what exactly the future holds for us, with the fast pace of change.
***
Spirituality? Why is expressing ourselves as spiritual, seemingly acceptable to the scientist as well as the religious?
I’ve known many to declare: “I am not religious; but, you might say, I am spiritual.”
My observation is that religious practices and religious scripture, often are that plinth upon which many take their first steps toward spirituality. I did. We are curious by nature. We seek speculating what science has not yet caught up to. Many of us through our upbringing, turn to what our parents exposed us to — scripture. At least herein lies the contemplation of many great souls, who stood for the well-being of all humans and the living.
Famous atheists and agnostics even, dabble in non-science [non-sense to them?]; whether this is through Yoga, or Pranayama, or paths such as Ayurveda/Ayurvedic medicine.
Sam Harris — a confirmed atheist, has been curious enough to explore Buddhist methods and teachings. Yuval Noah Harari, in the closet about religion, has spoken at length about Vipassana. He says, “I could not have written this book [Sapiens] without the focus, peace and insight gained from practising Vipassana for fifteen years.” Well,Richard Dawkins!? Vipassana is Buddha’s specific technique that leads one to see things as they are. To me, this is about faith. Faith in what? Either in one’s own intellect, or, faith in contemplation within scriptures that have made their way through time.
However, more often than not, this is evident: religions are regarded in poor light. References to religions vary : — a ‘virus’ of our collective imagination of unfounded claims to truth; said to be a major cause for war and blood-shed; the means for radicalization and brain-washing; a dying phenomenon… These thoughts have been expressed by thinkers, philosophers and scientists.
Those staunchly religious, are often looked down upon by scientists, many atheists and agnostics. Religion is never a good match for scientific debate and empirical reasoning.
***
Why then does someone like me who tries to get her hands on many scientific articles, still reach for spiritual texts, for my grounding? I clearly go about my business in the world of Science; while trusting Scripture to guide me for it?? Quite the contradiction!
What does the future hold?
Honestly speaking, I am terrified of life’s uncertainties. I feel a disquiet about the future for my children {and theirs}. I feel that my generation in particular, hasn’t taken the best steps for the generations to come. I don’t mean this pessimistically looking at the progress we’ve made as humans; I say this looking at the state of our Planet. As a child, I didn’t relate to ‘Mother’ Earth as strongly as I do now.
Well, science and our knowledge systems should have all the answers, right? But, I seek more than Science, to guide me in my next steps. Science and STEM combined, aren’t able to pave an unsanctimonious path for me, to lead a decent, ethical, just, and upright life.
It may seem that I simply don’t know how to manage my freedoms and choices. But, this isn’t true. As a privileged human, I am well-adjusted in modern life; I have learned my maneuvers; I have developed my persona; I safeguard my interests; however, I feel concerned about the ideals we harbor as humanity. And science's prowess/accomplishment, can be over-whelming and confusing.
Our progress via Science and Technology continues scaling across many revolutions {mechanical to digital to cyber-genetic and beyond}— but, without full grasp of the consequences of choices we make as a global family. And I don’t mean immediate consequences of these choices — I mean — long-term thinking: minimally, a 500-year horizon within which to contemplate our choices. I share simplistic examples as these come to mind:
- Thinking about disposal of plastic before making it part of our daily living.
- Thinking about security before developing and revealing something as powerful as the Internet. {Today BlockChain technology is our solution for incorruptible, unfailing, transparent, distributed technologies. But it took its time coming.}
Our society hasn’t figured a method or means to collectively pause at an “alert” from inventors, discoverers and thinkers of our time, and confluence holistically as scientists, before something direction-setting, gets out there in the world for all. Think about the availability of CRISPR Cas 9 Kits. These are available from prices as low as ‘free’ to ~$500 USD.
As we make massive gains in our progress, humanity often gets to me. Life gets me. Disharmony with Nature gets to me. Disconnect with our real nature, gets me. I want to live a meaningful life; but I want meaning that impacts some of the trajectories we have taken as humanity, possibly holding-back certain progress, and even reversing some of it, to simpler living.
Even though violence has greatly decreased since the 1800s, why does the world feel at war? Climate Change, refugees fleeing from hostile regions and a push-back from nationalistic governments, ocean rise and its acidification, global pollution, human health and food management, the dwindling natural world and the extinction day-by-day of Earth’s species… are causes for angst. On the other hand, the technological breakthroughs in combating infectious diseases, reducing poverty, bringing primary education to most of the world’s children, AI, genetic engineering… all this indicates, we are at the brink of something very special.
Yet, I personally feel misgivings …and I know others do as well. Why?? It’s because Life gets to us. It broadsides everyone. Even the very-privileged aren’t spared.
Our family had a discussion around “Quality of Life.” How do we define it? Who defines this? What are the indicators to a Quality of Life Index? Aren’t monks and people in rural regions of the world seemingly more-content than those of us in thriving mega-regions? Consumerism and ‘having it all,’ does not beget longer-term happiness and/or contentment. Don’t we all long for peace and quiet found only in the natural, in the simple?
***
Our relationship with animals, the oceans, and the plant kingdom, is one of dominance. Humans usurp and utilize everything in our path, as though our right to do so.
General human thinking is, that the other living, despite having evolved with us, are here to naturally and specifically serve us. In this manner, humans have evolved all manner of material/means for ourselves, with little regard to the other sentient, and to other regions of Earth like forests and oceans. This has come to be our way of being. Progress on a finite planet with limited resources is a right (?) of every human being, who is taught that s/he can use anything and in any amount.
In my mind, the above is erroneous thinking and teaching for those yet-unconditioned or impressionable. Herein lies my disquiet and uneasiness.
***
“A friendly study of all the world’s religious scriptures is the sacred duty of every person.” ~Mahatma Gandhi
Virtue Reigns Supreme
Religious philosophies at the core, do not speak to take-what’s-yours-and-turn-your-back-with-no-thought. In essence, all religions speak to a compassionate, generous and civil world.
Scriptures provide many approaches at many levels, to address fatigue and self-doubt, known to be pervasive and dogged in our scientific world.
Yes, whether Abrahamic or Eastern, religion has a propensity for opening doors to radical thought, emerging through belief systems, which are the property of a few humans claiming they know the path to salvation. Religious scriptures themselves, or the Saints like Jesus, Siddhartha Gautama, Mahavira, Mohammad, Zarathustra, or Ramana Maharshi …surely never intended that we look at ‘another’ disdainfully or from another sect; but, rather the very opposite — to see the world as one, while including non-human sentient beings.
Think about “Buddhism” for example — Gautama Buddha never intended for His Vipassana technique to find its way to idolatry, or temples and worship. In all his teachings from age 35 until his death in ~483 BCE, he warned against making this technique more than what its intended for. The Vipassana technique is the means to understand the source of human craving and aversion and learn to view these through lenses of equanimity and impermanence. In reality, there is no such religion as Buddhism. {And Gautama Buddha clearly explained that there is no ONE Buddha. ‘There have been Buddhas before me; and, there will be many Buddhas after me.’ Buddha to Him is The Enlightened One.} Yet all over the world, tourism-generating, beautiful places of worship with glorious statues of Gautama Buddha, have been built. This is stating a fact and isn’t meant to be judgmental.
People will absorb everything that rekindles their hopes and dreams, make it personal, and find ways to relate to it. People will continue seeking out places of faith, which provide the right kinds of environment to contemplate Scripture or gather with the like-minded.
How a gentle and divine faith [for a need to belong, or a need to feel grounded] morphs into something of a belief-system with sects and divisions, ‘yours’ and ‘mine?’ — is what I see as — the development of insurgencies.
Leaving alone the subjects of radicalism, extremism and fanaticism, Science IS available to guide us from falling into such traps — ‘where my religion is right and yours has some catching up to do.’ Technology today provides access to education in every nook and corner of the planet, from devices like the Smart Phone and occurrence like the Internet. It is understandable that those who are vulnerable (like the desperately poor or enslaved humans) may not gain the right kind of access — but the rest of the world, even ignorant, has access to both Science and Spirituality. Most humans have access to information that:
- displays the world for what it is via Science, AND
- broadens our understanding of human nature, evil vs. good, right from wrong, compassion, and service to others. Scriptures can speak clearly to the heart and conscience, when one reads for oneself with open mind and heart.
Religions do not teach us about going to war; people do. People can be led to believe that war is a necessary evil.
Atheists can be upset at the religious; but, everyone has faith in something they trust, which realigns their mind with stability, even if this is their own intellect.
As I study Science on one hand, and look to Spirituality for direction on the other:
- Science helps with displaying my public self. It helps me transact decently and constructively in the modern world.
- Spirituality, reveals my better self. I gain strength and endurance from spiritual discourse and religious scripture.
Religious scriptures provide me with the motivation to overcome what seems soul-withering about humanity. What’s bigger than me, in the aura of The Divine, not only gives me hope, but is the-wind-in-my-back on days where I am less than my best possible self. For me, the beauty in a flower, the life in a Banyan seed, the freshness of fresh water, or the innocence of the innocent, — reflect this aura of ‘ Divine.’ This faith in what’s pure, has me believe that I can achieve my goals as a mensch. Above it all, it instills in me and my children, that
VIRTUE
REIGNS
SUPREME
Virtue is the path home for me while belonging to this world. The longing for intimacy is in Love, Friendship, Kindness, Beauty — traits that become revealed, as I think about others and their suffering.
I don’t have to sacrifice the reason that is in Science, but I can manage myself emotionally by being Spiritual.
I don’t have to teach my children to be religious. But I can live the true teachings of the scriptures — combining Vipassana with Scientific understanding, bringing meaning to a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson shared by a friend: “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived — that is to have succeeded.”
