Deepak answers questions about the nature of spiritual knowledge, self-awareness and science. These questions are from readers of book "War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality" by Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow.
Follow Deepak Chopra on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DeepakChopra
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IONS sees noetic science as a growing field of valid inquiry. Every new discovery leads to more questions as the mystery of human consciousness slowly unfolds. In the areas of consciousness and healing, extended human capacities, and worldview transformation, IONS keeps pushing the boundaries of what we know, advancing our shared understanding of consciousness and why it matters in the 21st century.
It led him to conclude that reality is more complex, subtle, and mysterious than conventional science had led him to believe. Perhaps a deeper understanding of consciousness (inner space) could lead to a new and expanded understanding of reality in which objective and subjective, outer and inner, are understood as co-equal aspects of the miracle of being. It was this that led Dr. Mitchell to launch the field of noetic sciences. There are several ways we can know the world around us. Science focuses on external observation and is grounded in objective evaluation, measurement, and experimentation. This is useful in increasing objectivity and reducing bias and inaccuracy as we interpret what we observe. another way of knowing is subjective or internal, including gut feelings, intuition, and hunches— or experiences you have that cannot be explained or proven “rationally” but feel absolutely real. This way of knowing is what we call noetic.
This very, very exciting article actually gives a scientific theory behind many spiritual viewpoints and spiritual experiences, including enlightenment and the perception of oneness encountered by many people that have had strong spiritual experiences.
It all started 1982 at the University of Paris. A research team led by physicist Alain Aspect performed what may turn out to be one of the most important experiments of the 20th century. Aspect and his team discovered that under certain circumstances subatomic particles such as electrons are able to instantaneously communicate with each other regardless of the distance separating them. After this, it didn’t take long before the idea of a holographic universe was created. But the implications of this are truly mind boggling…
Biologically, we need a certain amount of irrationality (dreams, concepts, etc.) for our inner harmony. Our brains are wired for irrationality and rationality (right and left hemispheres, in short). But we mustn’t let irrationality dominate rationality; the dream must not become our reality.
Dr Chopra is a confessed Theleologist and now imprisoned within a Religion, and no longer but a spiritual guide to irrational, individual and personal harmony. What is worse is that he wants to dominate the dream by making it Science. In short, like Michael Shermer said on a Youtube discussion with Chopra and Harris, Dr Chopra is now packaging his spirituality with “WooWoo” to make it sound scientific which it is not and will never be. Helas.
Science, by definition, does not deal in the supernatural.
And you guys eat him up.
Thank you for all of these details that I was ignorant of.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "you guys eat him up". If you mean that I relish his writings and philosophy,... I don't. I admired his early style and his enthusiasm for a self quest of one's own reality.
If you mean that I overly criticize him, it is only when he tries to make his religious views fit into a scientific mold, which they cannot.
I have visited his web site just to learn that he has associated himself with engineers and scientifically connected individuals who claim to do research on such absurdities as "zero energy, immaterial, invisible, quantum, infinite, potential conscious fields", or something of the like. If these people are paid good foundation moneys to search for something you cannot see, smell, feel and that is but a vague potential, all the better for them, but it is not science; that is my only beef.
(It can't. Science, like fish, doesn't have any feelings)
Why do some feel there is a need for science to "accept" spirituality?
Spirituality is the impulse (and the effort) to locate and define ourselves emotionally in respect to the universe. Religion can be viewed in this light as being only a context for the enactment and exploration of spirituality: a stage, some sets, some props and costumes.
First of all asserting science cannot answer these questions has science generalized into one compartment. The medical sciences of Neurology, Physiology, Psychology etc. can help answer self-awareness which is consciousness and how the brain maintains a conscious state, our emotions and the illusion of purpose.
Second, spirituality is different for everyone and doesn't answer any question. It only asks questions. Very similar to metaphysics or philosophy. It's as if it's sign to a path that takes different directions depending on who you are. Nothing conclusive and nothing definitive. It's perception coupled with an emotional response.
Science has no problem accepting spirituality, the fact that some people have spiritual experiences or make a practice out of such experiences. Only science doesn't automatically associate spirituality with the supernatural. Spirituality is a psychological and anthropological phenomenon. If you want to claim spirituality is something more, you need evidence.
There are plenty of people who ask questions like "What do I want?" "What sort of contribution do I want to make to the world?" without engaging in spiritual practices such as meditating in a cave for weeks or at least meditating regularly. These are secular questions that don't need religion or spirituality to consider. Also note such questions are not scientific questions since many of them are questions about personal preference. Thus the answers to the questions aren't hypotheses, they are personal preferences and opinions. Science can't tell you whether to wear the blue shirt or the red shirt, it's entirely up to you. The claim that "The blue shirt is better than the red one." is not a scientific hypothesis, it is just an opinion. If you are trying to decide between various options on how to contribute to society, that's largely up to you.
Why must people associate such questions with spirituality? And why must spirituality be linked with the supernatural? As someone who is good without spirituality, I don't get it.
"Spirituality" is such a nebulous concept and the connections to a god or a specific god are... well, what's a looser term than nebulous? Whatever the word it's that in spades.
Do people feel something they refer to as "spirituality"? Yes. That doesn't make it real or make it anything, however. I've felt apprehension for unknown reasons but it was ultimately unwarranted. Just because I don’t know the exact reasons for those feelings really doesn’t mean jack-all, especially not in relation to unseen forces or gods.
I know that what people claim are spiritual forces can be measured on brain imaging equipment. But then again, human thought processes can also cause bleeding wounds to appear on peoples’ palms, can create hives and even bleeding stomach ulcers. Attributing divine forces to them doesn’t make them magic or celestial or the signature of a specific deity.
I get it; people get these “I just know it” feelings and convince their already eager mind to go along with their preconceived notions. That’s more likely the result of brain chemistry and it’s a mightly long way to go to “the christian god verified he is real.”
You don't "get it" because you don't really need it.
I think most people don't really need spirituality nor are even all that spiritual or religious. They just say they are spiritual or believe there is a God for the sake of being polite and a good person. (See what Daniel Dennett says about faith in faith.)
Why does the sun come up in the east, move across the sky and set in the west every day? And please don't wheel out the argument that the Earth is rotating on its axis.