Hinduism & Science: Why Is the Hostility Irrational? (PART II)
- Charul Joshi
- Jun 26, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 15, 2021
“The point at stake here is not the presumption of knowing everything. It is the opposite: an awareness that yesterday’s ignorance may have shed light on it today, and that today’s might be illuminated tomorrow.” - Carlo Rovelli, Theoritical Physicist
I am a lifelong student of Science. I am also a Hindu.
Science is proving what I thought of as magic in Hinduism. Few examples-
1. Evolution
Hinduism has a very liberal outlook for most of science theories. In fact its concepts of Creation and Evolution do include God, but never as a superhuman at work, rather a metaphysical, formless, incorporeal energy creating and destroying everything.
One such example is the Dashavataras or incarnations of Lord Vishnu that showed evolution two millennia before Darwin’s theory.
The scriptures show Vishnu to have first incarnated as Matsya (aquatic organism), followed by Kurma/Kashyap (amphibian), then Varaha (terrestrial organism), Narsimha (half-man, half-animal or humanoid), then Vamana (a shorter/dwarf human), Parashuram (fully developed axe-man), Rama (King), Buddha (Wise Sage), Krishna (clever and skilled Statesman) and Kalki to come (Warrior). In stories like Ramayana, for instance, modern humans are shown with Vanaras (human-monkey hybrid).
Hence, most religious Indians (85% as per a Wikipedia survey) have no trouble accepting Darwin’s theory of Evolution.
2. The Big Bang/The Big Bounce
Interesting Fact- The Big Bang Theory was first discovered by Georges Lemaitre, a Belgian Scientist who was also a Jesuit-educated Catholic priest. When he studied Albert Einstein’s equations for curvature of the universe that further suggested its expansion, he postulated the beginning of the universe from a primordial atom.
(i). The Big Bang equations deduced by Alexander Friedmann show dynamic rate of universe’s expansion. In the said equations Science has been able to explain nearly everything, except for when the time T=0, and T<0, both beyond our tools of calculation.
In other words, the Big Bang takes us to the moment right after the T=0 moment (we understand what happened at even T= +0.0000000000000…1 seconds, but not T=0) when one atom, a ‘fiery blazing ball’ started off the unimaginably hot, compressed soup that then created the stars, planets, galaxies, and everything else known and unknown.
But at T=0, the question arises of where that first atom came from!
An explanation comes that instead of Big Bang, a Big Bounce created our universe under which the current universe came when a previous universe shrank to minutely quantum scales and then experienced central repulsion and bounced to create our universe.
However, the question remains, where did the First atom come from?
Vedic Hymns call that very atom the origin- Om, Brahman, Parmatama or the Supreme Soul or Shakti or Energy.
Depending on what manifestation of Energy the Purana reveres, there are slightly different theories on the Origin. But it does say that it all began with one dot (call it the first atom). That atom/dot is the dot on the symbol ‘Om’. The sound of Om is considered to be the Primordial sound.
(ii). This scientific theory also realises the plausibility of the existence of multiverses, which Hindu scriptures mention.
(iii). The Vedic Solar System (not considering the concept of Mandala) agrees with the Solar System of Science, and the former was written thousands of years before Science came up with those findings. Therefore, Hindus are not flat-earthers!
3. Energy and Matter
(i). The one thing we cannot live without, according to Hinduism, is ‘Shakti’ or Energy.
All begins, exists and ends because of Shakti or Adi Shakti (Energy).
Adi Shakti is the first atom and also its propulsion. Adi Shakti never Begins; Adi Shakti never Ceases. Adi Shakti is Absolute Energy.
This Shakti, for personification, is revered by Hindus as The Goddess, the feminine power- that from which everything comes and dissolves in.
(ii). Hindu scriptures, in addition to elements of earth, water, fire and air, describe aether. This aether mostly corresponds with Space or even better, the Dark Matter that remains oblivious to Science
The Dark Matter that puzzles Cosmologists is referred to as Shiva- that which is and is not, that which one cannot step out of, the omnipresent nothingness-the consort of Shakti.
Ultimately, universe is a beautiful mathematical poetry, and Hinduism agrees with it.
4. Nature/Environment
Nature, the Supreme Energy, and we are one, most religions clearly avow.
Science proves- We are made of the same stardust, the atoms which follow the same quantum principles, made of the same elements and organic interplay, existing and perishing with probabilities much the muchness.
Hence, Nature in religion is a part of our existence.
The hybrid human-animal figures and anthropomorphic characters in Hindu scriptures encourage a harmonious coexistence of all species on the Planet.
Hindus worship the earth as a goddess- Bhoomi Devi- a manifestation of the Energy.
Purush-Prakriti Analogy
Another term for the Supreme Power in Vedas is ‘Purush’, and everything else extant ‘Prakriti (Nature)’. The Prakriti includes us, the environment, all other creatures, all elements, everything. Each particle, be animate or inanimate, is bound by and subject to natural forces and laws, and functions the requisite because of ‘Purush’, the Supreme Energy.
This analogy reinforces our unity with Nature.
These, unfortunately, have been mangled and contorted to correspond with masculinity and femininity respectively.
In this way it seems, the mortal testosterone-fuelled human males are mistakenly considered to be ‘Purush’!
Chanting while cooking, worshipping food and praying before eating are some ways a religious household is grateful for their provisions.
WHY IS THE DEBATE BETWEEN HINDUISM (RELIGION) AND SCIENCE UNFAIR?
Science without Religion is lame and Religion without Science is blind – Albert Einstein
Here is why-
1. The arguments against religion are half-baked.
Primarily, to speak FOR religion one needs to understand it profoundly. Whereas speaking AGAINST it merely requires ignorance.
Most non-believers have superficial arguments that anyone with a functional brain can understand e.g. proof of God; Where is Shiva on Kailash etc.
To understand the believers’ arguments, one needs to understand all that a faith entails, especially the remarkable discernment between the literary and figurative aspects of every faith (revise here).
Religions are NEVER literal, but always figurative.
2. As the Physicist Karl Giberson- specialised in Creation-Evolution debate argues,
the scientific intellectuals and non-believers completely rebuff the study and views of religious intellectuals and thinkers, that are a product of aeons of introspection and probing. They instead argue against the less informed masses who are only aware of the more literary aspects of their religion.
3. Kenneth Miller, molecular biologist and a Catholic,
rightly disputes the non-believers’ and scientists’ claims that there is no God, or no higher meaning to universe/life etc.
He reasons that such claims are actually non-scientific as no scientific method or tool has yet had a chance to experiment their possibility, and has certainly not been able to prove otherwise.
Hence, in trying to rubbish religion, most non-believers do what they accuse religion of- make unproven, unfounded counter-arguments.
These are why the non-believers deem themselves to be the reigning champions in a debate against religion and faith. They simply disregard it- quite an unscientific attitude.
Basically, Science obtains explanation on the laws of Nature, their rationale, purpose and how they operate.
What stumps Science is why the laws are the way they are, and how they came into existence.
Religion exists to Find Truths, not Facts. But so does Science. Old Facts keep making way for new Facts in Science. Thereby, relying on Facts can fail.
Examples- Dante Aligheri, an Italian poet, described in his work Paradiso a spherical Universe with Purgatory, Angels and God, millennia before curved spacetime fabric of universe were proven by Science. Or Anaximander, a pre-Socratic Greek Philosopher who did the same besides surmising Evolution in about 580 BC.
Religion starts with us Knowing Everything and waiting for us to discover It innately. Science begins with the assumption of our complete ignorance (despite considering the Mind to be a fascinating enigma).
CONCLUSION
What must be reiterated is some religions like Hinduism do not offer repositories of Truth. They implore us to look for it- to open our mind to it.
They are evolving, and your and my interpretations matter to them. It matters what we add to them. They want us to approach Awareness with critical, interrogative, and curious temperament; something that Science is founded upon.
Rebels add more to religion than conformists.
However, how does all of this guide a Hindu on living in a society peacefully? As brilliant as this information is, it does not vouch for a Hindu's Good Behaviour, does it?
Read PART III- Hinduism and Society- to know how individual actions are crucial to the society- the Karma as everyone likes to say!
“The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark”- Thomas Paine
Thank you very much for your encouraging feedback. Gives me hope that some of us are here for meaningful and peaceful conversations. Thank you. If you'd like to read the next three parts of this series- Hinduism and Society; Women in Hinduism; and Conclusion of the series; please subscribe and you will receive the blog release notifications. (No spams, so don't worry).
To speak for requires profound understanding, to speak agaisnt requires mere ignorance !
If only our generation had this tone of expressing their beliefs the present would be much better 😇
Am a believer but that is not the reason I loved this, the way you believe and perceive as you said makes the difference!