Marrying Science With Spirituality🇬🇧🇳🇱

Throughout my life I have been a huge believer in science, and I still am. Even so, I can recognise that throughout the years, something has shifted in me. I think that even though I still believe in science, I have become less reliant upon it.

In many ways, I relied upon science to explain the world around me. This only makes sense, because that’s a large part of what science is about. Science, however, is not the only field that attempts to explain the world around us. Religion does the same.

It is my conviction that science is, in many ways, a religion itself. Not religious in the traditional sense, of course, but still a religion in some sense. And that’s fine. If you look at science as yet another religion, then the nice thing about it is that it is a democratic religion. It’s not based upon scripture, nor is there some higher order of priests who will tell you how to interpret said scripture. It’s based on experiments and rational thinking, and anyone is free to make a contribution. Compared to the religions of old, that’s really quite liberating.

But the parallels are still there. Instead of scripture, there are Laws of Nature. And instead of priests, there are scientists who will tell you how to interpret said laws. And just like priests, scientists don’t even always agree with one another.

And unfortunately, just like the religions of old, science is an institution that consolidates power. It is not for no reason that Max Planck wrote:

And did I say that anyone is free to make a contribution? While that seems true at the surface, the cynic will point out that this only applies to those lucky enough to be born with a high dose of intelligence and with sufficient privilege to afford a years-long scientific education.

Anyone who attempts to make a contribution with lesser credentials is bound to meet the ridicule of the system.

None of this is intended as a judgement. I still think science is a great improvement over the religions that came before it. But I do think it is wise to keep in mind the limitations and the position of science. Especially when it comes towards the scientific view towards spirituality.

It is my impression that people who strongly believe in science tend to have a low esteem of those who are inclined towards spirituality. After all, spirituality isn’t rational, they cannot prove it, and therefore it’s an easy target for dismissal.

But I think it’s a logical fallacy to think that one must choose between a belief in science and a belief in spirituality. Two things can be true at the same time.

Each and every one of us is an entity with consciousness. We know this to be true, as it is a self-defeating argument to not believe in yourself. And while I cannot prove your consciousness, dear reader, it would be a folly to believe you are any less than me.

So here we are, in the realm of philosophical assumptions that cannot be proven by science.

Science is a product of philosophy, not the other way around. Science is fundamentally limited in scope to what it can reason about, precisely because it only concerns itself with the rational and the reproducible. But alas, reality is not of a nature where everything is rational and reproducible. Some people may really wish to believe otherwise, but we must not kid ourselves: they are clinging to science as if it were a religion.

Often, those people also hold the view that the universe is deterministic, that everything is predisposed. It stems from the misunderstanding that the material universe is the source of life. But alas, like religion, determinism is a system of oppression.

Science is great, but we must not cling to it too dearly, lest we become oppressors ourselves.

Thankfully, if we relax our thinking, and open up our mind to the possibilities beyond the rational and the predictable, we step into a world where a sense of magic may still live.

We step into the world of spirituality.

Spirituality can be very confusing for those coming from traditional religions, or even science, simply because there is no single definition for it, and no authority to tell you what is the right understanding of it. You may look to others who you think are more experienced in the spiritual realm, but ultimately it’s your own judgement who you wish to follow.

A great rule of thumb is to follow your own intuition while taking cues from the people you trust.

And this brings us to the essence, the truth that holds regardless of whether you believe in science, spirituality, or both. Because everything we experience is ultimately a personal as well as a spiritual experience. Even if such an experience defies scientific explanation. But the people around us are real. And if we trust them, we can believe their stories as if they were our own. We enlarge ourselves and our conscience through the people around us.

This is how we marry science and spirituality. By believing both, and believing in the stories from both. Because even if their explanations might differ, your experience is valid no matter which one you relate to.

In a sense, they are like a human marriage too. They perform a dance. And in this dance, their noses may be opposing, but they follow the same steps. They look over each other’s shoulders, while following each other’s rhythm.

And together, they are stronger than one.