From: "Santosh Helekar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
--- "Fr. Ivo da C. Souza" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
We cannot dance at the tune of scientific theories.
I assume Fr. Ivo means that he and his co-religionists
cannot accept the validity of scientific theories such
as the Darwinian theory of evolution, theories of
gravitation and electromagnetism, special and general
theories of relativity, quantum theory, neural basis
of mental and behavioral phenomena, etc.
It sure looks like there is a major conflict between
his world view and modern science.
*Again it is a wrong conclusion. He has taken it out of the context:
What I said regarding his latest 'gem', namely that the idea of God is a
figment of mind,
and that it is a physical reality. God is a product of imagination, not a
Reality or Being.
But according to his latest discovery in neuroscience, it is "part of
physical reality". This is a blunder.
When he is telling me that he changed his opinion about the existence of God
in the light of
new discoveries in neuroscience, I surmised that "we cannot dance at the
tune of scientific theories",
I would qualify now "at the tune of so-called 'scientific' theories".
This is what I wrote in my posting:
As an answer to his statement:
<<<<Actually, nowadays I say that God(s) exist. They exist
in the minds of a vast majority of people. We now know
that all mental concepts have well-defined physical
representations in the human brain. God(s) have one
too. In this new interpretation even figments of
imagination are part of the physical reality by virtue
of being physically instantiated in the brain.
My answer was: >>>>**Dr.Santosh comes with another 'novel' idea, figment of
his scientific mind.
Idea is a representation, not the reality. Idea is not the reality, it
represents the reality. I can have an idea of a mermaid, it is not a
physical reality.
In the case of hallucination, the patient thinks that the fantasy is the
reality. If the hallucinated believes that s/he is a king/queen, then it
is
a reality for the patient. For us it is madness.
For us God is a reality, we try to picture God through different images
and
symbols, hence the mythical expressions.
God can be represented through different images. Religious symbols
represent
the reality of God in an imperfect way. That is why there are different
names for God. Philosophy and Theology purify the symbolic language about
God. God is the Being.
Dr.Santosh comes with another 'gem' from the world of Science... From
ontological
blunder to epistemological blunder, in the name of Science.
We cannot dance at the tune of scientific theories.
Faith teaches us about God. Let us not be enslaved by Science...
***As one can see, Dr.Santosh is picking up my statement from there: I am
referring
to this "new interpretation", namely that even figments of imagination are
part of the physical reality"...
We should be able to distinguish between the scientific data and the
interpretation given to them.
He should be sure that there is "no conflict whatsoever between my world
view and Modern Science".
I am repeating that Bible does not contradict Science, Truth does not
contradict truth.
His assumption does not have any grounds--he is mentioning Darwinian theory
of evolution,
theories of gravitation and electromagnetism, special and general theories
of relativity, quantum theory,
neural basis of mental and behavioural phenomena. All theories are under
constant revision.
They should be also subject to critique of Philosophy and Theology. There is
a scientific discourse
and a philosophico-theological discourse. They are different wings to reach
the Truth,
one cannot contradict the other...
Regards.
Fr.Ivo
