✦ The Reality of Man and the Limitations of Material Sciences ✦
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Alexis Carrel, in his book “Man The Unknown”, sheds light on the complexity of man and the limitations of human knowledge. According to him:
➤ Man is an indivisible whole, and it is impossible to fully understand him through any single discipline or science.
➤ Various sciences—anatomy, chemistry, psychology, history, sociology, and political economics—each comprehend only one aspect of man. Yet, even their combined insight fails to completely unveil the true nature of man.
➤ Despite all these investigations, a profound inner self remains within man, which has yet to be fully discovered.
Current scientific research has only been able to grasp those aspects of human nature that relate to the material world:
① The relationship between consciousness and the brain,
② The effects of willpower,
③ Changes in inherited traits—such subjects still remain a mystery to science.
Alexis Carrel maintains that no matter how hard man tries to understand his reality, the boundaries of his knowledge will always confront him.
To understand the truth of human existence, reliance is placed on various sciences. However, the outcomes of these disciplines are always limited and incomplete:
➤ Disciplines such as psychology, biology, chemistry, and physics present fragmented views of human reality.
➤ None of them can provide a comprehensive and unified understanding.
Suppose an individual attempts to understand the true essence of man:
➤ He begins by studying society and concludes that one cannot understand society without first understanding the individual.
➤ While studying the individual, he becomes immersed in psychology, biology, and chemistry.
➤ Eventually, he reaches the most advanced branch of modern science—nuclear science—yet he still fails to fully comprehend human reality.
Searching for the reality of man through material sciences proves to be a futile endeavor:
✔ Science lacks the capability to understand the deeper secrets of life, because it is confined to observing the creation and overlooks the Creator.
Due to the limitations of his knowledge and resources, man is in need of the Creator:
✔ Just as man is dependent on nature for physical necessities such as oxygen,
✔ In the same way, to understand the mystery of life, he requires the guidance of the Creator, that is, the teachings of the Prophets.
It is not possible to comprehend the secrets of life solely through material sciences.
✿ The guidance of the Creator and the teachings of His Prophets are the only true means of understanding the purpose and reality of life. ✿
❖ The Complexity of Man and the Limitations of Knowledge
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Alexis Carrel, in his book “Man The Unknown”, sheds light on the complexity of man and the limitations of human knowledge. According to him:
➤ Man is an indivisible whole, and it is impossible to fully understand him through any single discipline or science.
➤ Various sciences—anatomy, chemistry, psychology, history, sociology, and political economics—each comprehend only one aspect of man. Yet, even their combined insight fails to completely unveil the true nature of man.
➤ Despite all these investigations, a profound inner self remains within man, which has yet to be fully discovered.
❖ The Limitation of Human Knowledge
Current scientific research has only been able to grasp those aspects of human nature that relate to the material world:
① The relationship between consciousness and the brain,
② The effects of willpower,
③ Changes in inherited traits—such subjects still remain a mystery to science.
Alexis Carrel maintains that no matter how hard man tries to understand his reality, the boundaries of his knowledge will always confront him.
❖ The Search for the Secret of Life
To understand the truth of human existence, reliance is placed on various sciences. However, the outcomes of these disciplines are always limited and incomplete:
➤ Disciplines such as psychology, biology, chemistry, and physics present fragmented views of human reality.
➤ None of them can provide a comprehensive and unified understanding.
❖ An Example: Studying the Reality of Man
Suppose an individual attempts to understand the true essence of man:
➤ He begins by studying society and concludes that one cannot understand society without first understanding the individual.
➤ While studying the individual, he becomes immersed in psychology, biology, and chemistry.
➤ Eventually, he reaches the most advanced branch of modern science—nuclear science—yet he still fails to fully comprehend human reality.
❖ The Failure of Material Sciences
Searching for the reality of man through material sciences proves to be a futile endeavor:
✔ Science lacks the capability to understand the deeper secrets of life, because it is confined to observing the creation and overlooks the Creator.
❖ The Mystery of Life and the Need for the Creator
Due to the limitations of his knowledge and resources, man is in need of the Creator:
✔ Just as man is dependent on nature for physical necessities such as oxygen,
✔ In the same way, to understand the mystery of life, he requires the guidance of the Creator, that is, the teachings of the Prophets.
❖ Conclusion
It is not possible to comprehend the secrets of life solely through material sciences.
✿ The guidance of the Creator and the teachings of His Prophets are the only true means of understanding the purpose and reality of life. ✿
