A Challenge To Science & Religion

Fundamentalism is the theme of Parabola's Winter 2005 issue. In it, William Ventimiglia writes:

In the past 400 years, our secular ethic has greatly advanced human knowledge. Quite simply, it's the foundation upon which modern society has been built. However, at the dawn of the 21st century, we, the proponents of rational, scientific thought, find ourselves unmoored. It's as if we've rushed into a dark room unprepared. Sure, some lights have been lit along the way and some of the territories so illuminated have been explored. But in our head-long pursuit of knowledge, we've ignored the unknowable, the dark corners that will perhaps, by their very nature, remain forever so. We dismiss the numinous. We have come to reject mystery and myth - not just casually, but with contempt. We discount experiential truth.

Since science has repeatedly proven to be so successful in advancing civilization, perhaps it's understandable we've missed its blind spots. It's solved so many problems, answered so many questions, we've forgotten there are problems it can't solve and questions it can't answer. Worse yet, science has made secular society as prejudiced towards religious world-views as many of them are to it and each other. This isn't just unfortunate, it's dangerous. This polarization energizes fundamentalism and the radical movements based upon it. We must find a way to diffuse the growing tension on both sides.

First, secular societies must recognize the blind spots of rational, scientific thought, without sacrificing the pursuit of objective truth. They must embrace the notion that some truths are understood only through experience, not experimentation. The challenge to science (and to scientists) is to remain ever cognizant of its limitations, to realize there is always a place for non-rational thought, for belief and faith. The great 20th-century astronomer Carl Sagan had the right idea when he said:

Second, religious societies must evolve to accept the ever-expanding realities illuminated by science. Not too long ago, prevailing wisdom dictated a geo-centric model of the universe. It was an idea that dominated millions of minds for over a thousand years. Looking back with the eyes of modern science, it's easy to discount such a belief as quaint folly. But this belies the harsh reality of the time. The intellectual battle over Earth's place in the heavens was violent and protracted. While longevity and universal acceptance of an idea do not equate to veracity, they do contribute mightily to an idea's "inertia". In this case, objective, observational truth ultimately won the battle of ideas, leaving the helio-centric model of the solar system firmly entrenched everywhere - including religious societies that originally fought it so vehemently. All belief systems, religious and secular alike, must change to accomodate the inexorable advance of knowledge.

So a balance must be struck. Science must acknowledge, even embrace the persistence of myth and mystery. Religion must grow beyond ancient, literal foundations to reinvigorate their finest myths and mysteries in light of 21st century knowledge. Today's global crises will crumble to dust if we can achieve such a balance.