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Dear Goanetters,
I have been discussing long ago about the dialogue between Science and
Religion.
My answers were rooted in the knowledge of Science and Religion.
We need to discuss and clarify concepts which may be vital for us all.
Let us see what we have to say about soul from the viewpoint of Science and
of Religion.
***Soul, God Are Beyond Realm Of Neuroscience, Jesuit Experts Tell
Seminar
January 22, 2009
LONAVALA, India (UCAN) -- The realities of the soul, spirituality and
God-experience remain outside the domain of science, regardless of
neuroscientific advancements, two Jesuit scholars stressed at a recent
Seminar.
Since time immemorial, scientists, philosophers and religious
believers have
tried to understand the human soul, Father Job Kozhamthadam told about
200
people, including university professors, researchers and activists
from India
and abroad.
The priest said in his keynote address that while all human
experiences have
both physical and spiritual dimensions, "research in neuroscience
could not
reduce the soul to the brain."
The Jan. 1-5 seminar in Lonavala, near Mumbai, 1,410 kilometers
southwest of New
Delhi, had the theme "Neuroscientific Revolution, the Human Soul and
Spirituality". Indian Institute of Science and Religion (IISR), which
Father
Kozhamthadam started 10 years ago in Pune, a town 50 kilometers
southwest of
Lonavala, initiated the Seminar.
The Institute and Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth ("Llight of Knowledge
University"), the
Pontifical Seminary in Pune, of which Father Kozhamthadam is
President,
organized the Seminar along with three other Colleges and a
University, all in
Maharashtra state.
Father Kozhamthadam, who earned his doctorate in the History and
Philosophy of
Science in 1986 at the University of Maryland in the United States,
spoke on "The
human soul in a world of science: the neuroscientific revolution and
the problem
of the soul".
The spiritual dimension of human experience has shown itself capable
of making
its own choices and decisions, at times even against the promptings of
the
physical, he said. Religious thinkers and religious-minded
philosophers have
called it the "human soul", which, though closely linked to the body,
is separate
from it and created by God.
"Today, however, some neuroscientists have claimed to have uncovered
the soul
and spirituality through brain imaging and mapping, artificial
intelligence,
computer science" in researching the human brain and mind, the priest
continued.
Some new theories describe the soul as "an emergent phenomenon,"
maintaining
that "when matter becomes very highly complex, certain special
properties
emerge," he explained. They portray the mind or soul "as a collection
of such
properties."
Such assertions challenge the traditional views of Religion and
Spirituality,
Father Kozhamthadam said, adding that such challenges will become more
serious
in the future with further developments in such research.
Contending that the human soul and spirituality are fundamental to all
religions, he insisted that religious believers need to challenge the
conclusion
that new findings demonstrate that "brain is the soul."
The priest clarified that "scientific findings shed valuable light on
the issue,
and hence these efforts must be encouraged," but they leave many
serious
questions unanswered.
He stressed the need for urgent, serious and open-minded dialogue
between
contemporary religion and modern science to uncover the mysteries of
the soul.
Father Kuruvilla Pandikattu spoke on "The self, soul and the Supreme:
the
enchanting exploration into and beyond oneself".
"The neuroscientists are contending that God, the human soul and
spirituality
can be explained in terms of neural networks, neurotransmitters and
brain
chemistry. And many believers are offended by their notion that God is
a
creation of the human brain instead of the other way around," he said.
The Jesuit priest and Associate Director of IISR founded Jnanam, the
Centre for
Science-Religion Dialogue in India, about nine years ago in Pune.
He urged religious believers to welcome emerging ideas, but cautioned
against
"blind acceptance." Although neurological studies could shed light on
the
mysterious workings of the brain, "any claim to prove or disprove God
through
neurological studies must be taken with caution."
The soul is the spiritual centre of one's personality, which helps us
go "beyond
ourselves ... and abandon ourselves unconditionally to a Reality
supremely
higher than ourselves," he maintained.
Father Pandikattu called for an end to a "dualistic understanding" of
body and
soul, in which one is opposed to the other. In his view, the body
cannot be
totally separated from the soul, which begins with the body, but goes
beyond it.
He stressed the need for "a deeper dialogue" between Neuroscience and
Religion
to help people learn more about the self. ***
Regards.
Fr.Ivo
