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ਰਵੀ ਤੇ ਵੀਰ ਦਾ ਵੀ ਵੀਰ ਵੀ ਤੇ ਵੀ ਹੋ ਵੀ ਤੋਂ ਵੀ ਰਵੀ ਤੇ ਵੀ ਤੋਂ ਵੀ ਤੋਂ ਵੀ
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JAINA CONVENTION 2017
Jainism and Science: Some Reflections
G-9-G
Dr. Jeffery D. Long
Dr. Jeffery D. Long, Professor of
Religion and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College
Science and Religion: A Case of Unnecessary Conflict?
There is a widespread misconception in today's world that religion and science must always be in conflict. The claims of religion are typically held to be absolute. To be a faithful adherent of a religion, it is assumed that one must believe in all of its teachings without question. These teachings are held to be true because they have come from some undisputable authority. In many religions, this authority is God, who is held to be the all-knowing and benevolent creator of the universe. Religions are then differentiated by which representative of God or which sacred text they hold to be the correct one.
The claims of science, on the other hand, are not absolute, but are based on reason reflecting upon evidence. The scientific ideal is that all reasonable people, reflecting upon the same data, will eventually, after a shared process of data-gathering and discussion of viable possibilities, will agree upon a conclusion. A picture of the history and the nature of the physical world has thus developed over the course of centuries. The reason scientific claims are not absolute is because new data continues to be gathered. New discoveries continue to be made and new ideas develop in response to these. Today's scientific picture of reality is not absolute, never to be changed, but is the best picture available based on the existing evidence. It is likely that its details will continue to change over time as new evidence continues to be gathered: a process which is potentially never ending.
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