Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Dalai Lama on science

from SciTech Daily:

Science and Buddhism, according to the Dalai Lama, share a strong empirical basis and are surprisingly compatible [the story]

a quote:
"Just because a current theory or philosophy of science fails to account for a phenomenon does not mean that science itself should be abandoned."

The author has described "a God of gaps", where the religious may fill in any gaps in scientific theory with a religious concept. He doesn't like it. I, however, see its merits. Why not label something that does not have a scientic theory as religious? Of course, there are depths to scientific theory that the layperson cannot even fathom. At this point it seems to me that much of a layperson's belief in the unknown, either scientific or religious, is all religious.

2 comments:

Anita said...

I'm very interested in buying the book mentioned - - it's on my Amazon wish list right now waiting for a break in my TBR list.

Have you seen the movie, "What the Bleep do We Know?". It's biased and not an especially well done documentary, BUT it is also raises some totally fascinating questions about the relationship of religion to science (particularly quantum physics). It's fun to watch despite it's downfalls. I'd recommend it to you.

suzannejb8 said...

no, I haven't seen that. I'd heard of the title, but hadn't given it much thought. Maybe I'll look it up in the library - thanks!