Science is not a religion, argues Vinay Venugopal, responding to an article that appeared on this page two weeks ago (Delta 19).For Venugopal (27), a Hindu from India and third-year PhD student at the Materials Science & Engineering faculty, there’s a fundamental difference between quantitative scientific experimentation and subjective interpretations of holy books.
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The major religions of the world came into being much before the birth of scientific method. Religion and the concept of God were used to explain the observed phenomena in nature and also to bring some kind of order in human society. But the question is how far religion was successful in understanding nature? Most religions have their respective holy books which cannot be questioned. This in a sense suppresses individual enquiry and creativity while unraveling the mysteries of the universe. In contrast, science is a systematic study of the physical world by quantitative measurements and the development of a theory to explain the observed phenomena. Mathematics is a convenient tool to develop a scientific theory, but this does not mean that science is a belief. If a theory fails to explain a new observation then the postulates of the theory have to be revised and the theory has to be either modified or discarded. Experiments are not beliefs since they are conducted under certain known conditions. An experiment under identical conditions should be reproducible. The interpretation of verses in the holy books is dependent on its author, his or her place and time. Hence, there is lot of scope for ambiguity. In fact for the same verse there could be many competing interpreters claiming their commentary as authentic. While in science the interpreted results should be consistent with the known laws of nature and the interpretation is subjected to change as science develops. The goal of science and religion is not the same. Science is objective, quantitative, systematic study of the universe while religion deals with moral, ethical, spiritual issues of human beings and their existence. To explain the existence or absence of God is not the ultimate goal of science % rather, science endeavors to find a unified theory which can explain all the observed processes in the universe.
Most religions are no longer growing or evolving, while science is progressing rapidly with new discoveries and inventions. But the interaction between these two different approaches (religion and science) can be very beneficial to human society. Religion can be helpful in resolving many moral and ethical issues relating to the application of science and technology and its impact on society and environment. The logic of science can be used to reexamine religious works and their relevance to the present day world. Science can also help in dispelling some of the superstitions which in the name of religion and God is used for exploitation. Such an interaction can provide new insights to further the development of human society.
To read the article ‘Science is a Religion’ by Rasmanan Pitchumani, which was published two weeks ago in Delta 19, go to
www.delta.tudelft.nl
Science is not a religion, argues Vinay Venugopal, responding to an article that appeared on this page two weeks ago (Delta 19).For Venugopal (27), a Hindu from India and third-year PhD student at the Materials Science & Engineering faculty, there’s a fundamental difference between quantitative scientific experimentation and subjective interpretations of holy books.
The major religions of the world came into being much before the birth of scientific method. Religion and the concept of God were used to explain the observed phenomena in nature and also to bring some kind of order in human society. But the question is how far religion was successful in understanding nature? Most religions have their respective holy books which cannot be questioned. This in a sense suppresses individual enquiry and creativity while unraveling the mysteries of the universe. In contrast, science is a systematic study of the physical world by quantitative measurements and the development of a theory to explain the observed phenomena. Mathematics is a convenient tool to develop a scientific theory, but this does not mean that science is a belief. If a theory fails to explain a new observation then the postulates of the theory have to be revised and the theory has to be either modified or discarded. Experiments are not beliefs since they are conducted under certain known conditions. An experiment under identical conditions should be reproducible. The interpretation of verses in the holy books is dependent on its author, his or her place and time. Hence, there is lot of scope for ambiguity. In fact for the same verse there could be many competing interpreters claiming their commentary as authentic. While in science the interpreted results should be consistent with the known laws of nature and the interpretation is subjected to change as science develops. The goal of science and religion is not the same. Science is objective, quantitative, systematic study of the universe while religion deals with moral, ethical, spiritual issues of human beings and their existence. To explain the existence or absence of God is not the ultimate goal of science % rather, science endeavors to find a unified theory which can explain all the observed processes in the universe.
Most religions are no longer growing or evolving, while science is progressing rapidly with new discoveries and inventions. But the interaction between these two different approaches (religion and science) can be very beneficial to human society. Religion can be helpful in resolving many moral and ethical issues relating to the application of science and technology and its impact on society and environment. The logic of science can be used to reexamine religious works and their relevance to the present day world. Science can also help in dispelling some of the superstitions which in the name of religion and God is used for exploitation. Such an interaction can provide new insights to further the development of human society.
To read the article ‘Science is a Religion’ by Rasmanan Pitchumani, which was published two weeks ago in Delta 19, go to
www.delta.tudelft.nl
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