Thursday, May 1, 2008

Science, Philosophy, Religion...the best?


Science, philosophy, religion which one has helped humankind more. All have hurt us in some sense and all have helped in others.

Early mankind was able to explain the environment/universe in terms of mythology--there was no discipline of philosophy and science. Sophisticated or not , early man was able to predict periodic events through seasonal events and astronomical phenomenon such as the correct time to hunt certain species in migration, to plant/harvest crops, or to predict the rainy/drought seasons. Religion has lost much of its global influence now which is to say that it is not significant. There would be no science without the rigors of philosophy and the basic framework of the scientific method and exact use of logical methodology. Philosophy provides an accurate framework for all of the science and thus would reign supreme.

I'll grant you current philosophy is not in the old tradition of Plato or Jean-Paul Sartre. No more are there grand scale philosophies even though there are many minor ones underfoot and thriving such as Karl Popper’s Critical Realism. Nevertheless, the disciplines of science and even theology are dependent upon all aspects of philosophical endeavors: Scientific methodology, logic, linguistics.

Religion/theology too has changed in many respects despite the old hard-line religions entrenched bias. People are not murdered for sacrilegious stances or heretical philosophy. Toleration, general clean-up, and new specialized [humanistic] faiths have been established. Religious ethics is quite strong. Multiple gender roles in religious infrastructure is more common.

Science doesn't cause wars, but you have to admit that science certainly has tipped the balance of victory for many countries. These are two of many salient example: The introduction of the ‘longbow’ [remember the decisive battle of Agincourt in 1415 where the English killed 7,000 to 10,000 French] and the introduction of tanks and the machine gun during World War I: Mobility and rapid, impersonal nature of killing. Science/technology were very effective in both cases. To the “political and economic” list add "psychological" in that individuals [assorted despots] and institutions [mostly religious] must augment their agendas. "Power and greed" rule.



No comments: