Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

In Western Modernity, our cosmology has developed into the Big-Bang-to-the-present narrative that Carl Sagan presented in his TV series Cosmos, as interpreted through scientific materialism. That cosmology views the world as a mechanical collection of passive “things” that interact according to the Laws of Nature in chains of cause-and-effect. While it enabled people to enrich life by, for example, largely eliminating infectious diseases, creating technological innovations, and reducing poverty, it has also taught Westerners a mechanical way of thinking that contributed to existential challenges such as global warming, massive pollution, and the possibility of nuclear holocaust. This paper will begin with a brief examination of how scientific materialism contributed to the creation of these challenges and how it blocks our ability to address them. The remainder of the study will examine an alternative, replacing scientific materialism with a far more organic understanding of the world that has been developing for the last century in sciences ranging from quantum mechanics to complexity theory. By viewing our world as a highly interconnected set of processes, where even small changes can lead to cascades of adaptation – more like Eastern religion and philosophy than Western science – this reinterpretation of the Big-Bang-to-the-present narrative may be able to help people address the highly complex challenges our planet faces today.