Microcosmology Atom in Jain Philosophy and Modern Science

Author(s): Jethalal S Zaveri, Mahendramuni
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 85

Atom in Jain Philosophy
CHAPTER 2
Atom In Jain Philosophy
INTRODUCTORY
"Ever since men became capable of rational thinking, their actions have mostly depended upon their theories about the universe and its contents and also as to what is good and what is evil. This is an almost eternal truth. Men's environments play an important part to determine their way of living, bur conversely their philosophy does much to determine their circumstances.
"Philosophy is neither theology nor science but something of both. It appeals to reason, rather than authority, like science, but like theology it speculates on matters about which definite knowledge is not ascertained. Science is bounded by definite knowledge while dogma as to what surpasses definite knowledge belongs to theology. Intermediate between them is philosophy.
"Science will not, because it cannot, answer all the questions of great interest to human mind and if we forget what we cannot know, we become insensitive to many things of great value. Are there two orders of existence? Is the universe a systematic unity or a conglomeration of multiplicity? Is reality objective or merely subjective ? Answers to these and many other such questions cannot be found in the laboratories. On the other hand, dogmatic belief that we have knowledge, where in fact, we have ignorance, induced by theologies and the very definiteness of the answers given by them causes modern mind to view them with suspicion.