Science and Conscience

Humans have a sacred duty - a duty to perform the tasks entrusted to us on the basis of our intrinsic capacity. If you can weave, then be a weaver; if you can fight, then be a soldier; if you can think, be a scholar. The duty to play our roles and help the Human collective (be it family, community, nation or humanity) move further along the path of self actualisation is a sacred and moral duty. We as human beings have taken upon ourselves the obligation to understand the universe through a rational scientific enquiry. But this quest did not start in the modern world or with the invention of scientific method of enquiry. It had its roots in all classical systems of philosophy and ancient ways of scholarship. The methods of science are not very different from the methods of conscience, as both entail theoritization, experimentation, vindication and verification. How does a new philosophy or a new way of being gather large scale acceptability? For instance, take modernity. The modern ways of life were first theorized, then experimented with in a few nations, then vindication came in the form of enhanced prosperity and finally they are being verified by various countries of the Global South to be effective. The theory of liberalism has now evolved into the economic laws of neo-liberalism that prescribe the surest path to national prosperity today. But countries are still free to experiment further to improve upon the prevalent ideologies to evolve better ones. Thought experiments are as effective as scientific experiments in the discovery of truth. But the basic premises in both the systems is different.

Science considers that our external universe shapes our intrinsic character. In this respect we are sentient beings. We seek to know ourselves better by looking on the outside as what is inside is the same matter that is present in the stars, comets and the Earth. Conscience considers that our intrinsic character shapes our external world. In this respect, we are divine beings. We seek to know the universe better by looking on the inside, knowing that the same laws and phenomena that shape our choices and character govern the cosmos.

To me, both approaches seem complimentary to each other. We need the wisdom of both Albert Einstein and Mahatama Gandhi to make the most of the Human experience. We need to articulate a language of synthesis to make the ideas of science and philosophy coherent with each other. Truth is objective but not absolute because it has a transient quality, it changes with time and maybe even space. How can we accurately perceive the truth if we can't even correctly perceive ourselves? Are we a part of this creation or the very creators of this reality. Intellectual integrity and consistency in the methods adopted becomes all the more important in such a situation. What is also important is a mutual appreciation among the various ways of enquiry. Contemplation is a powerful tool for transformation of insight into a potent means to integrate knowledge. All great ideas have been born out of a rare combination of science and conscience. All the great inventors have been persons of very high moral fibre and clean conscience and all inspiring leaders have appreciated the scientific model of intellectual exploration. In creating a inclusive knowledge base, both science and conscience should cooperate with each other rather than competing.

PS : I personally feel that while pointing out the virtues of competition in the process of evolution of species, Darwin might have slightly understated the importance of cooperation among the members of the same species and their collective aspiration to reach immortality through perpetual procreation.