This essay Science and Religion in a Changing World is an extract from God and the New Physics. In this essay, the author deeply examines the nature of Religion and Science. The changes in our attitudes and life styles and our faith in the define order of things, our superstitions and practical, functional paradigms have been examined in this essay on an intellectual level.
How science and religion have changed their meaning in the modern world and why man still searches for more rational, personal faiths have been analyzed here on an intellectual and academic level. The central focus, however, is on man and his spiritual needs.
Till the onset of 19th century, the world was unaware of science. Therefore, the society was full of taboos, dogmas, preconceived notions. At that time, religion was a way of life, life- forging, nation-building, society-making. Religion was an integral part of life-structure, and everything was valued from religious grounds. Taking this advantage, the so-called religious preachers exercised their ego, snobbery, profit motive and degraded spiritualism, spread religiosity.
After Darwin’s discovery, “The Theory of Evolution”, Lamarckism and Mendelism, the society was aware of scientific values, observations and experiments, facts and realities. Thus, the age-old conventions and convictions began to change drastically. Science changed the face of the world. Another, noteworthy factor is that the old science gradually confronted a threat from the modem. Human sentiments, ideas towards surrounding, towards mankind, universe, and human psychology changed which ultimately changed the face of existing science and religion. Thus, the present essay is very- significant.