✦ Science as the New Religion and Its Core Beliefs ✦
❖ The Contemporary Status of Science
◈ Science as a Religion
✔ In today’s world, science holds a status similar to that of a strong religion.
✔ A defining trait of any powerful religion is that its followers openly express their beliefs and influence others.
✔ Many now boldly claim: “I don’t believe in God; I believe in science.”
✔ This attitude clearly indicates that science has become a deeply entrenched creed or belief system.
❖ The Rise of Scientific Beliefs
✔ Since the late 19th century, science has evolved from merely a method of inquiry into a dogmatic belief system.
✔ Scientific theories have penetrated minds so deeply that they have attained the status of absolute beliefs over time.
❖ The Philosophy of Materialism
✔ Philosophically examined, scientific beliefs largely fall under the umbrella of “materialism”.
✔ In the modern scientific mindset, science is sacred—while books once held as sacred are now devalued or ignored.
❖ A Critical View: Key Points from The Science Delusion
✔ Renowned researcher Rupert Sheldrake authored The Science Delusion in response to Richard Dawkins’ famous The God Delusion.
✔ Sheldrake critiqued scientific dogmas in the same manner Dawkins criticized religious beliefs.
✔ He demonstrated that scientific assumptions are equally subject to critique, just as religious doctrines are.
❖ The 10 Core Beliefs of Science (According to Rupert Sheldrake)
➊ Nature is mechanical: The universe, animals, plants, and humans are like machines.
➋ Matter is unconscious: All entities in the universe—stars or humans—are devoid of consciousness.
➌ Laws of nature are fixed: These laws have remained unchanged since the Big Bang.
➍ The total amount of matter and energy remains constant: No increase or decrease since the Big Bang.
➎ Nature is purposeless: Evolution and natural processes occur without guidance.
➏ Inheritance is mechanical: All genetic changes occur automatically and unconsciously.
➐ Memories are stored in the brain: Human memory is solely a product of the physical brain.
➑ Consciousness is confined to the brain: The mind is nothing more than brain activity.
➒ Communication requires material means: Humans cannot communicate without physical mediums.
➓ Only mechanical medicine is effective: All other healing methods are labeled unscientific or superstitious.
❖ Sheldrake’s Critique of Scientific Beliefs
✔ Sheldrake raised objections based on scientific logic and methodology, making his critique valid and rational.
✔ He proved that in today’s world, science has morphed into a powerful belief system, not merely a method of investigation.
❖ Example: Cosmic Journey
✔ Sheldrake presented the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, and the Sun’s journey within the galaxy, as an example.
✔ He emphasized the unpredictable and unknown nature of this journey.
✔ Future changes—like the impact of dark matter or dark energy—could potentially alter even the laws of nature.
✔ But such ideas contradict the core dogmas of current science.
❖ Karl Popper and the Principle of Falsification
✔ The famous philosopher Karl Popper introduced the principle of falsification to distinguish science from non-science.
✔ According to this principle, a theory is scientific only if it can be proven false.
✔ Popper argued that religious beliefs cannot be falsified, and thus cannot compete with science.
✔ However, applying the same standard to scientific theories reveals that many scientific assumptions also fail this test.
❖ Sheldrake’s Hypotheses and Cosmic Consciousness
✔ Sheldrake proposed the existence of a hidden, invisible connection between living beings in the natural world:
– A prey animal senses danger when stared at by a predator.
– Birds raise alarm calls in the presence of snakes.
– Dogs bark at seemingly empty spaces.
✔ These examples suggest the presence of a mysterious dimension of consciousness within the universe.
❖ Science as a Religion in the Modern Age
✔ Today, science advocates defend their beliefs with the same fervor seen in religious followers.
✔ New beliefs rooted in science are emerging, such as:
– The existence of multiple universes
– Time travel
– A self-originating Big Bang
– An unconscious universe
✔ These are metaphysical ideas, akin to religious doctrines—accepted without empirical proof.
❖ Conclusion
Modern science, while originally a method of inquiry, has now assumed the character of a religion with its own set of unchallenged beliefs.
Just like religious doctrines, these scientific creeds resist scrutiny and are defended with emotional conviction.
Rupert Sheldrake’s critique, rooted in scientific reasoning, unveils the philosophical and logical shortcomings of modern science and reveals how it has become a new belief system in the modern age.
