# The Spiritual Foundations of Science

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Anjam Khursheed, The Spiritual Foundations of Science, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> The Spiritual Foundations of Science
> 
> Anjam Khursheed
> 
> Abstract
> 
> This paper examines some characteristic features of a Baha'i approach to
> science. In contrast to popular modem western accounts of science which
> often attempt to reduce it to methods of logic and experiment, the Baha'i
> reference point for the nature of science is the spiritual nature of man. The
> experience of some outstanding scientists of the past is cited to support the
> Baha'i view.
> 
> 1. Introduction
> 
> Many critics of modem western thought have commented on its fragmentation
> into two separate realms. The philosopher and mathematician Alfred
> Whitehead has described this division in terms of a bifurcation of nature'1,
> where he states modem western thinking to be split into a quantitative world of
> science, and a qualitative world of human emotions and values.
> 
> The writer C. P. Snow has described this division in terms of a 'clash between
> two cultures'2, a conflict between the scientific and humanistic (the artistic,
> religious and so on) in our society. He states that science is another 'culture'
> which has its own language, metaphors and view of the world. The clash
> between science and art is portrayed in terms of the misunderstandings and
> rivalries that exist between different nations.
> 
> A. N. Whitehead, "The concept of Nature", p26-4S, Cambridge, Cambridge University
> Press, 1964
> see the book by C.P. Snow, "The Two Cultures: a second look",        Cambridge,
> Cambridge University Press, 1969
> 4                  THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
> 
> The psychologist Floyd Matson has described the fragmentation of modern
> thinking in tarns of a 'broken image'3, where the traditional picture of man
> being made in God's image is shattered. He links these divisions in modern
> thought to the rise of a mechanistic world view of the universe, and refers to it
> as the 'modern dogma of scientism'4.
> 
> All these critics of modern thought link its divisions to a popular
> misconception of science. One of the most common ways of picturing science
> in the modern mind is to see it in terms of a collection of "facts and numbers".
> Science is conceived of as an objective method of observation, hypothesis and
> experiment. This view of science is generally classed as a "positivist"
> conception of science. The positivist representation of science portrays it as a
> method which is dominated by empirical measurements, either in observation
> or experiment, and hypotheses which are constructed according to rigorous
> methods of logic, whether they be deductive or inductive. Such a description
> of science, as is well known, was explicitly formulated by the logical
> positivists in the early part of this century5. It is one however, which still tends
> to dominate our view of science today, even amongst scientists themselves.
> The positivist conception of science is based upon understanding science in
> terms of explicit verification procedures which are thought to be objective: that
> is independent of spiritual values and purposes.
> 
> Positivist science tacitly assumes that other spheres of human activity such as
> religion, or art, do not have a 'scientific* method Science is thought to contain
> verification tests of truth which other human activities do not have. The
> famous verification principle of logical positivism was an example of such a
> test bang used to distinguish science from other spheres of human activity6.
> Others have preferred to use the truth-criterion of "falsifiability" to capture the
> nature of scientific investigation7. All these representations of science assume
> that it can be adequately described by formal methods of procedure, whether
> F. W. Matson, "The Broken Image", pv-vi, NY, Anchor Books, 1966
> ibid, p6
> see for instance the book by Ayer A.J., "Language, Truth and Logic", Penguin Books,
> 1971
> ibid., p l 6
> Popper K.R., "The Logic of Scientific Discovery", p40-41, Uwin Hyman, London,
> 1990
> The Spiritual Foundations of Science
> 
> in observation, hypothesis or experiment. It is this view of science that still
> dominates the modern mind.
> 
> 2. Examples of methods identified with science by empiricist
> philosophers
> 
> Francis Bacon: Science as a collection of facts
> 
> Collection of Facts,                         Valid scientific theories,
> encyclopedia of data                         confirmed by more facts
> 
> Francis Bacon (16th century) thought that science was largely about
> gathering facts. He thought that theories automatically emerge from
> trends or patterns from the facts, and that they are turned into a scientific
> law by the process of induction. Theories are tested by gathering more
> facts. Valid theories are the ones which are supported by the facts.
> 
> Hume's Fork: Scientific test for a meaningful proposition
> 
> Proposition
> 
> mathematical                                    empirical
> 
> Does it contain abstract                 Does it contain any
> reasoning concerning                     experimental reasoning
> quantity or number?                      concerning matter of fact
> or existence?
> 
> 'Commit it then to the flames: for it can contain
> nothing but sophistry illusion!"
> THE SINGAPORE BAHA'f STUDIES REVIEW
> David Hume (18th century) was influenced by what he understood to be
> Newton's experimental method. Hume thought that Newton's scientific
> success was mainly due to his experimental work. Hume attempted to
> extend this approach into a scientific method which could describe human
> nature and philosophy. His method was based upon giving priority to
> propositions that could be directly related to information gathered by the
> senses. Hume's fork is a typical example of him attempting to arrive at a
> method for distinguishing sciencefromnon-science. His philosophy was
> typically directed against the metaphysics of the scholastic tradition in
> Western philosophy.
> 
> Bertrand Russell
> 
> Bertrand Russell (early 20th century) believed that progress in science is
> based upon the facts, both in observation and experiment. He thought that
> mathematics was a subset of logic - a tautology containing such
> statements as "all bachelors are men", and that it could be reduced to
> identifiable axioms and explicit rules of logic.
> 
> Logical Positivists: Empirical science/logic as a method to determine
> meaning
> 
> The Verification Test                           í   4--
> 
> Proposition
> 
> Logic                                    Empirical Science
> 
> Domain of Logic?                               Factual content?
> (Tautological statements)
> 
> Meaningless propositions
> The Spiritual Foundations of Science
> 
> The touchstone of truth for the logical positivists ( early 20th century) like
> Hume, was empirical science. They were concerned with
> "decontaminating" science from metaphysics, theology and ethics.
> Through the verification principle, they attempted to arrive at a
> "scientific" definition of meaning. The verification principle has many
> similarities with Hume's Fork.
> 
> Scientific methods discussed by 17th century scientists
> 
> René Descartes
> 
> Complex                  Step by step             Self-evident truths
> phenomenon               reduction
> 
> Mechanical -               Part by part —        -•    Extension,
> system (clock)             decomposition               mass, time
> 
> René Descartes articulated a scientific method based upon proceeding in a
> logical step by step analysis of complicated phenomena, simplifying them
> into simple irreducible parts. His method is similar to that of a geometric
> proof, which by relying on only a few simple axioms is able to proceed in
> clear steps of deductive logic to arrive at powerful conclusions.
> 
> Isaac Newton
> 
> Isaac Newton did not present a scientific method, but he did present
> general maxims that guided his scientific work. They are as follows: look
> for the simplest explanation, the one with the lowest number of postulated
> causes; assume that the same effects arise from the same causes;
> properties of bodies found through experiment and observation are
> generalised to become universal properties; proceed by general induction
> 8             THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
> 
> from phenomena to propositions (theories). Here it is clear that Newton
> combines a method of induction articulated by Francis Bacon with the
> deductive method advocated by René Descartes.
> 
> Using inductive and deductive logic in scientific research does not
> necessarily constitute a "scientific method", and it is quite likely that
> Newton and Descartes did not conceive of them as a list of rules which
> could be mechanically applied to create science.
> 
> 3. A Baha'i approach
> 
> There is much written about the nature of science in the Baháí writings. In
> fact the Baha'i faith is one of the few world religions to mention science
> explicitly within the orbit of its sacred scripture. But one of the most striking
> features about the Baha'i writings on the subject of science is that procechires
> of observation, the role of experiment, or the processes of logic are scarcely
> mentioned.
> 
> On several occasions in his western tour between the years 1911-13, 'Abdul-
> Bahá based his public talks on the nature of science8. On all these occasions
> he never spoke about the 'methods' of science. To some of his western
> audience it must have seemed that instead of speaking about science, 'Abdul-
> Bahá spoke about man. This is also true of the Baha'i writings as a whole.
> Instead of finding a description of the nature of science in terms of special
> methods that are unique to science, that set it apart from all other forms of
> human activity, it is the special characteristics of the mind of man that are
> described, which set him apart from all other forms of life.
> 
> From the Baha'i point of view, one cannot understand the nature of science
> without first understanding human nature. They are inextricably linked.
> Human nature from the Baha'i perspective, is not reducible to the processes of
> nature. One special characteristic of man, which is not found within nature, is
> said to be his intellectual capacity. 'Abdďl-Bahá states that:
> 
> see for instance: Abdu'l-Bahá,"Paris Talks", pl41-146, The Baha'i Publishing Trust,
> 1911, llt'h ed., London, 1969, or "The Promulgation of Universal Peace", p29-31 and
> p348-352, The BaháT Publishing Trust, Wilmette niinois, 2nd edition, 1982
> The Spiritual Foundations of Science
> 
> "Man is endowed with ideal virtues - for example,
> intellection, volition, faith, confession and acknowledgement
> of God - while nature is devoid of all these. The ideal
> faculties of man, including the capacity for scientific
> acquisition, are beyond nature's ken. These are powers
> whereby man is differentiated and distinguished from all
> other forms of life"9.
> 
> Science is possible, according to this view, only because human nature is
> fundamentally different to the world of nature. Human nature is seen to have
> characteristics not found elsewhere, such as consciousness, free-will and
> memory. Without the special qualities of human nature such as consciousness
> andfree-will,no science would be possible.
> 
> Since from the Baha'i view point, the character of science essentially derives
> from special non-natural powers of the mind, it is not artificially separated
> from other creative spheres of human activity such as the arts and crafts.
> Science is frequently mentioned in the Baha'i writings in the same context as
> the arts and crafts. Baha'ullah states that the "arts, crafts and sciences uplift
> the world of being", and uses the general term "knowledge" to refer to them
> all10. 'Abdul-Bahá, in the context of discussing science, states that one must
> put effort in striving to acquire, "science and the arts"11. From the Baha'i
> perspective, since arts and crafts are also founded on unique creative powers
> of the mind, they share a natural unity with science. There is no definite
> boundary between the arts, crafts and sciences within the Baha'i faith. All are
> regarded as important forms of knowledge which Baháis have a spiritual
> obligation to learn.
> 
> The importance given to science within the Bahái writings cannot be over
> emphasised. Science is described as "the first emanation of God to man", "a
> means by which manfindsa pathway to God", and as God's "love of reality in
> man"12. Baha'ullah states that: "Art, crafts and sciences uplift the world of
> 'Abdu'1-Bahá, "Promulgation of Universal Peace*. p51
> Baha'ullah, "The Writings of Baha'ullah", p316, a compilation, The Baha'i
> Publishing Trust, New Delhi, 1st ed.,1986
> 'Abdu'1-Bahá, "Promulgation of Universal Peace", p50
> 'Abdu'1-Bahá, "Promulgation of Universal Peace", p49
> I    10              THE SINGAPORE BAHÁT STUDIES REVIEW
> 
> being, and are conducive to its exaltatioa Knowledge is as wings to man's life,
> and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon
> everyone.....Great indeed is the claim of scientists and craftsmen on the
> peoples of the world.."13. 'Abdul-Bahá stressing the importance of science,
> states that: "Therefore, you should put forward your most earnest efforts
> toward the acquisition of science and arts. The greater your attainment, the
> higher your standard in the divine purpose"14. In another passage, 'Abdul-
> Bahá states that: "The greatest attainment in the world of humanity has ever
> been scientific in nature.....the highest praise is due to men who devote their
> energies to science.."15. Elsewhere in the Baha'i writings, the Baha'i faith is
> described as, "scientific in its method"16.
> 
> Another important feature of the Baha'i conception of science is that science is
> believed to reflect the existence of profound cosmological mysteries. Science is
> stated to be a revelation from God. The universe, from the Baha'i perspective,
> is seen to be filled with the knowledge and signs of God. Each atom is said to
> contain within it, profound cosmological mysteries. The unity and order of the
> cosmos, a belief which underlies all scientific investigation, is given special
> emphasis within the Baha'i conception of science, and is ultimately looked
> upon as a sign of divine purpose and design in the universe. It is stated in the
> Baha'i writings that the universe is regulated by laws which operate from the
> atomic to astronomical level. 'Abdďl-Bahá states that:
> 
> "This Nature is subjected to an absolute organisation, to
> determined laws, to a complete order and a finished design,
> from which it will never depart; to such a degree, indeed,
> that if you look carefully and with keen insight, from the
> smallest invisible atom up to such large bodies of the world
> of existence as the globe of the sun or other great stars and
> luminous spheres, whether you regard their arrangement,
> their composition, their form or their movement, you will
> 
> "Writings of Baha'ullah", p316
> 'AbduT-Bahá, "Promulgation of Universal Peace", p50
> 'AbduT-Bahá, "Promulgation of Universal Peace", p348
> Shoghi Effendi, "The World Order of Baha'ullah", pxi, Baha'i Publishing Committee,
> New York, 1938
> The Spiritual Foundations of Science                       11
> 
> find that all are in the highest degree o f organisation and are
> under one law from which they will never depart".17
> 
> The nature of science is ultimately impossible to capture or describe since this
> knowledge, embedded within the universe, is regarded as infinite. Human
> science, is understood to be empowered to capture a portion of this knowledge.
> Bahá'uTláh states that:
> 
> "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is
> a direct evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes
> and names of God, inasmuch as within every atom are
> enshrined the signs that bear eloquent testimony to the
> revelation o f that M ost Great L ight Methinks, but for the
> potency of that revelation, no being could ever exist. How
> resplendent the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an
> atom, and how vast the oceans o f wisdom that surge within
> a drop! To a supreme degree is this true of man, who,
> among all created things, hath been invested with the robe of
> such gifts, and hath been singled out for the glory of such a
> distinctioa For in him are potentially revealed all the
> attributes and names of God to a degree that no created
> being hath excelled or passed.”18
> 
> The BaM 'f conception of science is thus inseparable from mystery, and that
> science is inherently limitless. It is founded on cosmological mysteries: the
> unity and order of the cosmos, which is understood to be a sign o f God in the
> world of nature, and the creative power of the human mind, which is regarded
> as the greatest of all signs of G odin the universe. The nature of science is seen
> to be unfathomable, because the mysteries that underlie it are believed to be
> unfathomable. Bahá'u'lláh states the human soul to be a "mystery among His
> mysteries". Bahá'uUáh states that: "Every created thing in the whole universe
> 
> 17 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, "Some Answered Questions". p3. The Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
> Wilmette Illinois, pocket size ed., 1990
> 18 Bahá’u’lláh, "Gleanings from the Writings of Baháulláh", The Baha’i Publishing
> Trust, London, 1978, XC, pl76-7
> 12               THE SINGAPORE BAHÁT STUDIES REVIEW
> 
> is but a door leading into His knowledge....Verily I say, the human soul is, in
> its essence, one of the signs of God, a mystery among His mysteries"19.
> 
> Speaking of the rational faculty of man, Baha'ullah states that:
> 
> "Wert thou to ponder in thine heart, from now until the end
> that hath no end, and with all concentrated intelligence and
> understanding...this divinely ordained and subtle Reality,
> this sign of the revelation of the All-abiding, All-Glorious
> God, thou wilt fail to comprehend its mystery or appraise its
> virtue"20.
> 
> The very recognition of such a mystery bdng unfathomable, is in itsdf
> regarded by Baha'ullah as the "acme of human understanding":
> 
> "This confession of hdplessness which mature
> contemplation must eventually impd every mind to make is
> in itself the acme of human understanding, and marketh the
> culmination of man's development"21.
> 
> The recognition of the essential mystery lying behind the power of the rational
> faculty of man, the foundation upon which scientific investigation is made,
> from the Baha'i point of view, is essential to understanding the nature of
> science. According to this view, as science makes more and more progress, the
> cosmological truths that make this progress possible, appear in greater
> mystery. Contrary to modern popular conceptions of science, scientific
> progress is believed to enhance mystery, not to diminish it.
> The notion of science being objective in an impersonal sense, without
> reference to human minds, convictions and values, is not found within the
> writings of the Baha'i faith. The preconditions necessary to acquire truth,
> including scientific truth, are believed to lie in cultivating certain spiritual
> characteristics on the part of the enquirer. Scientific facts are not set in
> opposition to religious ideals. The ability to acquire knowledge, from the
> Baha'i point of view, depends upon having certain moral prerequisites.
> 
> "Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'ullah", LXXXII, p. 160
> "Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'ullah", LXXXm, pl64-165
> "Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'ullah", LXXXm, pl65
> The Spiritual Foundations of Science                    13
> 
> One of the most important of all these preconditions is the obligation to think
> for oneself and rely on one's own reasoning. The spirit of Baha'i enquiry
> entails taking the responsibility to carry out one's own investigations where
> possible, and to minimise the passive absorption of information from others.
> Blind imitation of other people's views is seen to be the main source of
> propagating prejudices. 'Abdul-Bahá states:
> 
> "Furthermore, know ye that God has created in man the
> power of reason whereby man is enabled to investigate
> reality. God has not intended man to imitate blindly his
> fathers and ancestors. He has endowed him with mind, or
> the faculty of reasoning, by the exercise of which he is to
> investigate and discover the truth, and that which he finds
> real and true he must accept He must not be an imitator or
> blind follower of any soul. He must not rely implicitly upon
> the opinion of any man without investigation; nay, each soul
> must seek intelligently and independently, arriving at a real
> conclusion and bound only that reality. The greatest cause
> of bereavement and disheartening in the world of humanity
> is ignorance based upon blind imitation"22.
> 
> Other spiritual prerequisites include being open-minded, striving to minimise
> prejudice, and being humble in one's investigations 23.
> The Baha'i faith can only be considered to be "scientific in its method" in
> terms of its reliance on using one's own unique powers of mind, as opposed to
> the passive absorption of information from others. Only in this sense can the
> Baha'i faith said to be "scientific in its method"24. This phrase captures an
> important attitude of mind which characterises the Baha'i approach. The
> unique powers of mind upon which science is founded: its ability for creative
> abstraction, its truth-seeking nature, its ability to reason, its ability to be
> independent of social prejudices, its ability to perform courageous leaps of
> faith, and many more, are all seen to be just as indispensable to the progress of
> religion, as they are to the progress of science. The individual Baha'i has an
> 
> 'AbduT-Bahá, "Promulgation of Universal Peace", p291
> 'AbduTBahá, "Paris Talks", pl35-7
> Shoghi Effendi, "World Order of Baha'uUah", pxi
> 14                THE SINGAPORE BAHÁT STUDIES REVIEW
> 
> obligation to use the same creative qualities of mind which underlie scientific
> investigation, in his or ha- study of religioa
> 
> 'Abdul-Bahá states that:
> 
> "Consider what it is that singles man out from among
> created beings, and makes of him a creature apart. Is it not
> his reasoning power, his intelligence? Shall he not make use
> of these in his study of religion? I say unto you: weigh
> carefully in the balance of reason and science everything
> that is presented to you as religioa If it passes this test, then
> accept it, for it is truth! If, however, it does not conform,
> then reject it, for it is ignorance!"25.
> 
> Another important element within the Baha'i view of science is that science
> must in some way save society. Science is not separable from its effects in
> society. Baha'ullah warns of avoiding sciences that "begin in mere words and
> end in mere words", and encourages the acquisition of "such arts and sciences,
> however, as are productive of good results, and bring forth their
> fruit acceptable before God"26. 'Abdul-Bahá after having given a discourse
> on the nature of science, states that: "How shall we utilize these gifts and
> expend these bounties? By directing our efforts toward the unification of the
> human race. We must use these powers in establishing the oneness of the
> world of humanity..."27. Science from this perspective, cannot be separated
> from its social consequences. Man has a special responsibility to use his
> creative powers of mind towards serving humanity. Without this end purpose
> in mind, developments in science are stated to endanger civilisation.
> Baha'ullah warned that "The civilisation, so often vaunted by the learned
> exponents of arts and sciences, will, if allowed to overleap the bounds of
> moderation, bring great evil upon mea...If carried to excess, civilisation will
> prove as prolific a source of evil as it had been of goodness when kept within
> the restraints of moderation"28. 'Abdul-Bahá echoes the same theme when he
> 
> 'Abdul-Bahá, "Paris Talks", pl44
> "Writings of Baha'ullah", p313
> 
> AbduT-Bahá, "The Promulgation of Universal Peace", p51
> "Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'ullah", CLXHI, p341-2
> The Spiritual Foundations of Science                       15
> 
> stated that: "material progress alone does not tend to uplift man. On the
> contrary, the more he becomes immersed in material progress, the mere does
> his spirituality become obscured only if material progress goes hand in
> hand with spirituality can any real progress come about"29.
> From the Baha'i perspective, the unity between science and religion can be
> understood on many different levels. Religion provides the scientist with faith
> in the unity of Nature, a belief in the rationality of Nature's laws. Religion also
> directs scientific discoveries to the service of mankind. It provides a moral
> framework for the application of scientific discovery. Science on the other
> hand can protect religion from falling into superstitious beliefs by always
> distinguishing the primary irreducible truths of religion from its secondary
> aspects, ones that are relative to the time and place in which it comes. Science
> for instance demonstrated that the belief of the earth to be 6000 years old,
> justified by some Christians from a literal interpretation of biblical text, was in
> fact mistaken. By doing so, science performed an invaluable service to
> Christianity. It showed that such a belief was not central to Christian doctrine,
> and forced Christians to redirect their attention to the irreducible truths of their
> religion, such as their belief in the power of humility, love, justice etc.
> 
> The Baháí view is often presented in terms of an image given by 'Abdul-
> Bahá, where he describes science and religion to be the two wings of a bird30.
> With only the wing of science, he states that the bird of the Tiuman soul' will
> fall into the 'slough of materialism'. With only the wing of religion, he states
> that humanity will fall into the 'quagmire of superstition'.
> 
> Science here is presented as a multi-level activity which has spiritual
> foundations. One way of approaching science might be to liken it to an
> iceberg. The tip of an iceberg is the only part visible above water level. The
> mountain of ice upon which the tip sits is not apparent from observation of the
> tip alone. In fact, there is no indication above the surface that the iceberg
> consists of a vast mass of ice which is expanding in size as it penetrates deeper
> into the sea. Likewise, it is easy to underestimate the spiritual depth to science
> and reduce it to visible and tangible parts. At a deeper level, science consists
> of intellectual engagement, which involves problem solving and putting
> something to the test. Beyond the intellectual level, science involves moral
> 
> 'AbduT-Bahá, "Paris Talks", pl07
> 'AbduT-Bahá, "Paris Talks", pl43
> 16            THE SINGAPORE BAHÁ'Í STUDIES REVIEW
> 
> obligations and commitments, which include commitments to not falsifying
> one's results, an openess to criticism, and relying upon truth as the ultimate
> source of authority. Beyond this level and very much related to it, there is the
> level of metaphysical involvement, bringing in intuitions about our place in the
> cosmos, feelings of wonder and mystery, and faith in the power of our minds
> to understand Nature. The diagram below indicates some of the less visible
> but deeper aspects to science.
> 
> 4. The Experience of Scientists
> 
> The positivist conception of science only partially captures the nature of
> scientific investigation. Formal methods erf logical reasoning and emparical
> tests, as attested by the great scientists of the past and many philosophers this
> century, only capture surface layers of the true nature of science. Science is
> built upon spiritual foundations, and not empirical-mathematical ones. Some
> statements about the nature of science from scientists themselves can be used
> The Spiritual Foundations of Science                        17
> 
> to demonstrate this point. From the many examples which can be listed, only a
> few will suffice here.
> The way in which Isaac Newton for instance looked upon his own lifetime's
> work in physics demonstrates that he considered science to be founded on an
> ocean of spiritual truths:
> 
> I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself
> I seem to have been only a boy playing on a seashore, and
> diverting myself in now and thai finding a smoother pebble
> or a prettier shell than the ordinary, whilst the great ocean of
> truth lay all undiscovered before me.31
> 
> Newton's view of his science is characteristic of pre-modern conceptions of
> science. Every scientific advance was seen to be washed up from out of an
> ocean of spiritual truths. Every scientific fact indicates the presence of deeper
> truths beyond it. The nature of science according to this image is seen to be
> unfathomable. Empirical tests and observations, rational hypotheses, are
> likened to be "pebbles" on the shoreline of scientific truth, whose reality is
> intuitively believed to extend infinitely far beyond them.
> 
> Another indication that the nature of science penetrates far beyond formal
> procedures of logic and empirical observation was given by Neils Bohr. The
> revolution of quantum theory in physics necessitated a much mere profound
> view of science than the positivist one. Perhaps the greatest philosophical
> lesson of quantum theory is that absolute objectivity is unattainable in science.
> When one inherently affects what one sees, absolute objectivity is impossible
> to maintaia An observation will always contain an inherent amount of
> uncertainty associated with it, generated by the "subject" influencing the
> "object". The mere the subject shares with the object, the greater the
> uncertainty produced. Under such circumstances, Neils Bohr states that we
> can only make progress in terms of "images and parables":
> 
> Quantum theory thus provides us with a striking illustration
> of the fact that we can fully understand a connection though
> we can only speak of it in images and parables. In this case,
> 
> Quoted on p207 of "Physics and Beyond", Werner Heisenberg, Harper and Row.
> 1971
> 18              THE SINGAPORE BAHÁ1 STUDIES REVIEW
> 
> the images and parables are by and large the classical
> concepts, ie, 'wave* and 'corpuscle'. They do not fully
> describe the real world and are, moreover, complementary
> in part, and hence contradictory. For all that, since we can
> only describe natural phenomena with our everyday
> language, we can only hope to grasp the real facts by means
> of these images. This is probably true of all general
> philosophical problems and particularly of metaphysics. We
> are forced to speak in images and parables which do not
> express precisely what we mean. Nor can we avoid
> occasional contradictions; nevertheless, the images help us
> draw nearer to the real facts. Their existence no one should
> deny. Truth dwells in the deeps'.32
> 
> Neils Bohr captures important characteristics of scientific investigation in the
> above citatioa He expresses the belief that scientific investigation contains
> much more than can be expressed in explicit formal terms: "truth dwells in the
> deeps". It is a vision of science which understands human knowledge to only
> capture imperfect glimpses of the reality of the universe, and has obvious
> parallels in religion. Neils Bohr referring to the ban with which positivist
> philosophy would place on scientific investigation, stated that: "this ban would
> prevent our understanding of quantum theory".33
> 
> Science is founded on an intuition of unity in the universe. It is based cm a
> conviction of the rationality of the universe, which cannot be demonstrated to
> be completely true. It requires faith. One can always be sceptical about such a
> faith, as Hume's philosophy clearly showed34.
> 
> All great advances in the history of science have brought our vision of the
> universe into a greater unity. This was demonstrated in ancient Greece, where
> the Ionian philosophers looked for the "One bdiind the Many", or in the
> science of Pythagoras, by his discovery of an equivalence principle between
> musical intervals and the numerical ratios of the length of a musical
> instrument                              ,
> Ibidp210                                |
> Ibidp208
> see the book by Hume D., "A Treatise of Human Nature", Penguin Classics, 19S4
> The Spiritual Foundations of Science                      19
> 
> It is also evident in Netwon's physics when he showed that the same laws of
> motion which applied to projectiles on the surface of the earth also regulated
> planetary motion: the motion of a falling apple and moon were united together.
> Similarly in the middle of the 19th century James Clerk Maxwell showed that
> the Electric force and Magnetic force were in fact one single force -the
> electromagnetic force.
> 
> The equivalence principles discovered by Einstein also brought a vision of the
> universe in greater unity: of the unity between energy and mass or the unity
> between inertial and gravitational acceleration. All these discoveries in the
> history of science serve to demonstrate the same point: that progress in science
> advances by integrating our vision of the universe into a wider scheme of
> unity. Scientific investigation is founded upon the conviction that the universe
> is intelligible to us. Einstein for instance stated that: "The most
> incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible"35. The
> spirit of science is characterised by a search for universal truths. Science is
> based upon the value we place upon such a search. Scientific investigation
> entails the search for deeper and deeper meaning in the universe. Science is
> thus founded upon spiritual values: a search for meaning, a faith in the
> rationality and unity of the universe, and the search to acquire universal truths.
> Einstein expressed these spiritual characteristics in the following way:
> 
> But science can only be created by those who are
> thoroughly imbued with the aspiration towards truth and
> understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs
> from the sphere of religion To this there also belongs the
> faith in the possibility that the regulations valid for the
> world of existence are rational, that is, comprehensible to
> reason I cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without that
> profound faith. The situation may be expressed by an
> image: Science without religion is lame, religion without
> science is blind36
> 
> Holton G. and Elkana Y., "Albert Einstein". p242, Princeton University Press. New
> Jersey, 1982
> Albert Einstein, "Out of My Later Years", p26. The Citadel Press, 1956
> 20            THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
> 
> Science and religion find common ground in their search for universal truths.
> Universal truths cannot be compartmentalised From this perspective, if a
> scientist genuinely searches for universal truths, he or she will be naturally led
> to religion, and correspondingly, a sincere member of a religious faith will be
> open to the results of scientific investigation.
> 
> Both science and religion also require a precondition of reverence. Science
> requires a respect within the subject for the object under study: an obligation
> to purge oneself of ego-centric prejudices. Likewise, religion also requires
> reverence. The scientist-philosopher Micheal Polanyi stated that: "we need
> reverence to perceive greatness, even as we need a telescope to observe
> spiritual nebulae"37. Both science and religion require a feeling of child-like
> humility. Newton pictured himself as a boy play on the shore of truth, while
> only those "born again", are said to be able to enter the "Kingdom of Heaven".
> There are obviously many more examples which can be given to show that
> there are parallels between science and rdigioa The main point here is that
> science is founded on spiritual values, and not on an impersonal method of
> logic or observation. Science is not independent of spiritual values, but it is
> rather founded upon them.
> 
> The principle of complementarity between science and religion may be likened
> to the union of the magnetic and electric force in dectromagnetism. James
> Clerk Maxwell discovered that the seemingly separate forces of electricity and
> magnetism were in fact one, and that light consisted of electromagnetic waves.
> The electromagnetic force, although embracing both the electric and magnetic
> force, is at the same time, something completely different. The unity of the
> electric and magnetic force is a creative form of unity, in the sense that their
> union produces a new dimension, an effect which could not have been
> predicted from either force alone: two static forms of energy by coming
> together give rise to a dynamic form of energy which is able to propagate
> information throughout space. Electromagnetic energy is now constantly
> encircling the earth in the form of radio signals, satellite signals, television
> signals etc and putting peqple from all nations into closer contact with one
> another.
> 
> Micheal Polanyi, "The Study of Man", p96, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London,
> 1958
> The Spiritual Foundations of Science                  21
> 
> Science and religion are at the moment considered by most modern western
> people to be two separate forces in human culture that have little to do with
> each other. But from the Baha'i perspective, they are both different aspects of
> a single deeper force, a force which drives us to uncover universal truths, a
> force which impels man to search for God, the force which will build the
> 'Kingdom of Heaven on earth'. 'Abdul-Bahá states that when the two forces of
> science and religion come together, there will be 'a great unifying, cleansing
> force in the world which will sweep before it all wars, disagreements, discords
> and struggles - and then will mankind be united in the power of the Love of
> God'38. Like the union of the electric and magnetic force, the outcome of
> bringing science and religion together will have far reaching consequences. A
> new dimension to human culture is prophesied to emerge, one which will
> encircle the earth with a lasting peace, a kind of peace not yet witnessed
> before.
> 
> 'AbduT-Bahá, "Paris Talks", pl46
>
> — *The Spiritual Foundations of Science (Used by permission of the curator)*