Comments on: Science and spirituality are not incompatible

By: Physical awareness and Spiritual Awareness - Personal Development for Smart People Forums

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 03:13:06 +0000

[...] view on the topic is here, but in summary, I don’t agree that materialistic perspectives are starting to mirror spiritual [...]

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:22:30 +0000

That’s great Assistant, there are so many ways of seeing the beauty in the world, and the happy coexistence of many different philosophies, practices, and systems of belief. Thanks for your comment!

By: Assistant

Assistant — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:27:54 +0000

I see wonder and beauty in science and math. I see science and math as a subset or a dimension within the spiritual. To me, unspiritual is a abstract concept like subnatural.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:38:12 +0000

Thanks for clarifying Liara.

Yes, I would have to agree that as we learn more about ourselves and life our beliefs and assumptions change and grow.

OK, I see your perspective on communication although I’m still not sure how that applies to what I wrote but since I understand where you are coming from no need to address this.

By: Liara Covert

Liara Covert — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 00:36:07 +0000

Hi Jenny,

When it comes to ourselves and our own *musings,* I don’t consider those as presumptuous as assuming what kind of life may be worth living for someone else. Yet, as we grow to learn more about ourselves, we, as individuals tend to realize that initial assumptions we have about ourselves are also limited to what we know at a given time. As we expand, our musings expand and so does our understanding of life as we know it.

In terms of what I mean about communication, human beings are born and begin a process of discovery about themselves and their potential that continues throughout their lifetime. As time passes, you may be aware that you tap into 5 basic senses. Yet your potential with magnifying these senses and your potential to discover others is always there.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 18:10:21 +0000

Liara,
Although upon re-reading I see I didnâ€™t specifically note that I was referring to my own life when musing that I am not sure life is worth living absent things such as beauty, compassion and so forth that was certainly the intention. I don’t find such *musings* presumptuous in the least, how can one understand a concept if they donâ€™t fully question it?

I donâ€™t understand what you are getting at regarding your statement on communication. Could you give me an example?

By: Liara Covert

Liara Covert — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 06:13:15 +0000

The whole concept of what contributes to a life “worth” living seems rather presumptious. Who am I to impose my view on anyone but myself? This reminds me of a Star Trek TNG episode when the Enterprise encountered a planet with a curious civilization. Its people systematically suicided from age 50 or 60, regardless of health. The cultural assumption was that life was only worth living to a measurable point, where statistically, younger generations would survive and subsist on resources and not have the ‘burden’ of aging people. They were perceived by that civilization as expendable. A few of them stow away onto the Enterprise and were poised to break the planet’s laws. Yet, they ultimately conformed and returned to their fate. It raised questions about what kind of life is worth living. Our own Earthly societies impose cultural judgments about value and contribution. Some societies value older people as wide mentors whereas other societies lock them away in nursing homes or facilities so they’re ‘out-of-the-way’.

Communication isn’t limited to what we know. It can also be expanded from to include what we don’t know.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:36:21 +0000

Funny that you comment on my use of the phrasing meant to be as it serves to further highlight a question I’ve been asking myself. I’ve begun to wonder how much of the confusion I have been experiencing when discussing and thinking about science, spirituality and religion is tied to semantics (laziness with word choice in particular). Authentic communication or learning is all the more difficult when the words/concepts one is using or encountering are inaccurate or misleading.

I guess this isn’t something that in most areas of communication I’m particularly aware of or find especially problematic perhaps because I already have a fair grasp of the subject matter and so glaring inaccuracies or biases are fairly easy to spot and account for and/or if I don’t the issues aren’t so emotionally charged by all involved. Over the past couple of months my biggest barrier to understanding doesn’t even have to do with science, spirituality or religion instead it has been my trying to follow “debates” on the subject for clarification or to further my understanding that are actually arguments or eloquent (and sometimes not so much…) defenses of already existing opinions.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 04:45:14 +0000

I agree, Jenny, that being additive would serve us better, and since I don’t believe that anything is meant to be, or not, I believe we’ll reach that point one day, if it’s at all possible.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:37:04 +0000

While it is debatable whether spirituality is necessary (at least for all people) I don’t know that I would consider life worth living if love, beauty, and compassion were absent it whether those feelings come from biological (neurological) processes or spiritual ones.

At this point I no longer can tell you what I think as to whether spiritual and scientific explanations are irreconcilable or complimentary as my head is swimming with new ideas and thoughts, but one dayâ€¦

What I can say is I feel humanity as a whole would be better served if it is possible for spiritual and scientific knowledge to be additive rather than subtractive of one another. But, maybe that just isn’t meant to be.