The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos: The Synergy Between Religion and Science. Andrew Yang Student #

Transcription

1 The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos: The Synergy Between Religion and Science Andrew Yang Student # Langara College Tim Stevenson Religious Studies: Religions of the West November 18, 2013

2 The ideals between the churches and the scientific communities seem incompatible like oil mixing with water. While science explains on how the universe comes into existence, religion elaborates on what purposes that our lives can behold. It was once thought impossible that cold logic and hot passion can never come together as one; Brian Swimme wrote a book of cosmology to disprove such assumptions. Swimme proposes that instead of arguing about who is right and who is wrong, he wrote about the paradox of how us humans are both significant and insignificant at the same time. Chapter 9 starts off with the importance of nighttime, and how the moon is the personification of us pondering our existence. Without the harsh daylight projecting on our busy daily routines, the beauty of the stars in darkness can be quite mystifying; the night skies allow our minds to wonder around and take our time for appreciating what the outer world looks like. For what was invisible as we dashed about from one errand to another suddenly stands out, magically present, no longer willing to be ignored. (Page 68) Albert Einstein has been referenced multiple times in the cosmology book, yet not even the most brilliant mind in Einstein s era can truly handle the origins of the universe. For even if the answer is directly revealed, how does one explain to the public populations that do not possess the same caliber of intellect? No genius, however magnificent, is sufficient alone to speak the truth. (Page 73) The challenge of not overwhelming the delicate mass with such mind-blowing discoveries is nigh impossible as it is.

3 Classic mythologies describe the beginning of the universe akin to a cosmic egg, where nothing but a flash of light suddenly sparks the darkness. Science on the other hand has the Big Bang Theory, where the concept of the universe s birth is similar, but instead utilizes the growing raisin bread, with the element of hydrogen as the primary trigger that excites the thermodynamics of life. Thus, the scientific discovery has this dual nature of being both old and new simultaneously. (Page 76) Swimme insisted that he neither condemns nor praises either faction: I want to remember that humans have a variety of paths to the truth and when these various routes arrive at a common consensual knowledge we have the possibility of a story of the universe (Page 79) People have the choice to believe in what they regard as the truth; for whatever science can discover what religion could not, the vice versa should apply as well. However, Swimme also gave a word of caution to his readers: We need to reinvent our very minds so that we do not distort the discoveries by holding them in Newtonian categories that are unable to touch the truth we have discovered. (Page 84) Singular biases can be quite dangerous if left unaccounted for, as history has already proven what casualties it can invoke even amongst splintered factions of science or religion. Innovation of the mindset is the only path to avoid further escalations of conflict between science and religion.

4 Because every place in the universe is that place where the universe flared forth into existence. (Page 89) Remember how humans once regarded themselves as higher beings simply because religion claimed that Earth is the center? In a sense, the Earth is the center, but not of our solar system, but rather the ever expanding universe. Swimme s cosmology book received critical acclaims from both his fellow authors and the science community alike. For once, both sides of our interpretations must come to a conclusion that they can work together rather than feud for millennia; we can and will receive new revelations and better understanding to the age-old question What is the meaning of life? once harmony has been converged.

5 Citation: Swimme, B. (1996) The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos: Humanity and the New Story. Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis Books.