SCIENCE AS A RELIGION

Since ancient times, science and religion has always been in contradiction to each other. Belief in the afterlife, the domain of supernatural and faith in some omnipotent divinity, believed to be the creator of the world gets conceptualised in the form of religion. Science on the other hand, restricts itself to the comprehension and accumulation of knowledge of the physical world. Hence, it is evident that science and religion are not only characteristically distinct from each other but can also be said to be antithetical. Science being the realm of reason and rationalityis restricted to the material, physical aspect while religion is the bulwark of belief and faith keeping at bay logic and reason. However, if one analyses the two, the similarities, are thought provoking. Is science and religion actually so distinct or are these just two sides of the same coin?

The common perception of religion formed over the ages is that it is based purely on belief and faith, is dogmatic, based on worldview and has no room for questions and alternative opinions. In the current world science has become the widely accept belief. Everything scientific is believed to be the ultimate truth and anything which science is unable to explain is not delved into. Science itself is becoming more and more dogmatic basing itself on widely accepted worldviews rather than concrete evidence. Rupert Sheldrake in his book Set Science Free talks about the 10 dogmas of science. One of the dogmas about which he talks extensively is the dogma that scientific constants remain constant throughout.

Interesting example is over the years several proofs have been provided to show how the speed of light and the constant of gravity is changing but the scientific community refuses to accept it. Science has no room for the inclusion of concepts of which it fails to explain, like consciousness and the metaphysical. A bird’s eye view of all scientific theories and derivations shows that all laws are based on certain assumptions and there is nothing which is absolutely perfect or correct. What is correct today maybe proved to be wrong tomorrow. In 1930 the ninth planet Pluto was discovered. In 2006 there was a change in all the textbooks and our solar system lost a planet. In 2018, new research suggests that Pluto should be classified as a planet again. So science too is flawed and based on belief.

The recent ban on the TED Talk given by Rupert Sheldrake shows how science is not very different from religion when it comes to thwarting dissent. This talk given by Sheldrake showed how increasingly stagnant and dogmatic science had become and how it was biased more towards worldview that actual data. When science which finds its origin in questions and contradiction in today’s world hasfailed to accept or acknowledge an opinion which is different from the belief of the majority. The increasing dogmatic and conservative nature of science is making it just as orthodox as religion itself. The world has already seen an age when religion becomes all pervasive and the only dominant power with complete absence of science. It was a dystopian society. The world towards which we are heading is one in which science is becoming omnipotent, which is not conducive for the growth of any contradicting ideologies to flourish. Unless there is a revival of the scientific temperament, critical thinking, hypothesizing, analysing, questioning and accepting differences, there will be yet another dark age in which science will be the new religion.

Science and religion have shared an intricate bond with each other since time immemorial. The cause for the development of science was the questions which were posed by religion. Hence, the incentive for the development of science has been provided by religion. As the world is shifting more towards science we see that it is becoming just as orthodox and dogmatic as religion itself. Alternate opinions and voices are crushed and the very foundation of questioning on which science was established is crumbling.

Can it be argued that today science is becoming the new religion.?

Istela Jameel

Intern