PureInsight | May 7, 2001
What is true "science"?
The connotation of "science" had not only been generalized, but also deified by modern people. In many cases, "science" is a substitution word for "absolute truth". When talking about science, people often cherish a feeling of great reverence. Science brought us car and airplane. Science made it possible for us to talk to people on the other side our globe. Science sent people to moon, and it will also send people to Mars or planet even further away. When people worried that science had produced so much pollution, they were told, "Do not worry, future science will solve the problem." When others argue that science will exhaust our non-regenerable resources, they were told, "Do not worry, future science will solve the problem." When people complain about those 'modern diseases', they were told, "Do not worry, future science will solve the problem." Without any notices, we have whole-heartily developed faith in science. In the recent years, the idea of atheism and materialism had also been incorporated into science. Actually, "science" we refer to, is just a particular method to explore the truth of the universe through empirical path. This empirical science came into being only 300 years ago. Its fast development is only about 100-200 years. In its early age, people all know that it is just one way to explore the truth, but not the only one. There are several reasons that finally led to the deification of science.
1) Science, and modern technology, has produced a lot of 'convenience' and "comfort" for us. Yes, on the surface, airplane and car move much faster than old wagons; e-mail is faster than a postman; land fertilized with chemical fertilizer is more productive than conventionally fertilized land.
2) Modern science has many subjects, in which people are ranked in a very strict hierarchy system. All of this can generate a mystical aura for science. For an ordinary people, science is really profound and deep; opinions of experts can never be ignored. This system can successfully turn hypothesis into truth. Everyone is only studying in his own field. For other areas, you only want a conclusion. "Please tell me, yes or no." What the public knows is only a conclusion without any information about the process of how this conclusion is made. And very often, what we know is only a non-approved, or even "could not be approved" hypothesis. However, as time goes by, when this "conclusion" or hypothesis had been compiled into textbooks, it will become a "truth" in people's heart. The process of how people accepted the evolution theory is a vivid example. Usually people working for "popular science" are the most active apologist of science. All they want to know and spread is just a "conclusion", without any interest of the investigation of the process.
3) When people become successful and earn personal glory in science, some of them will automatically become enthusiastic apologists of science. Many people's enthusiasm for "popular science" is of this kind. They are the "secular incarnate" of science. For them, to deify science is actually to indirectly deify themselves.
In fact, the science we refer to is far from perfect. We might discuss the limit of science and the potential negative effect it will bring to mankind in other articles. Now let us jump out of the modern definition of science, to truly calmly think about what is the true and fundamental science of mankind. Everyday, when we dig into our own narrow working area, we seldomly ask an old question, "what is original motivation behind the complex phenomena of this existing universe?" This might also explain why so many people become so excited when they first read Zhuan Falun. In this book, using human language, Mr. Li Hongzhi explained, for the first time, that there is a 'Fa (Law)' in this universe! And this is "the characteristic of the universe 'Zhen-Shan-Ren', expressed at different levels with different layers of meaning. It is also what the Tao School calls the 'Tao', and the Buddha School calls the 'Fa'." (Zhuan Falun) This Fa creates the living environment and life styles of all levels of beings. Everything in the universe goes through formation, growth, deterioration, and death in this "Fa".
The Fa of the universe also created the human beings and all the elements that are necessary for the existence and prosperity in this level. Then everything of the human world is the manifestation of the Fa of the universe in a certain space and on certain level. From this perspective, I personally think that science (if I have to give a definition) is to recognize and understand the manifestation of the Fa on this level. So the methods we use to explore the truth should not be limited by the existing science.
Mr. Li gave a very clear explanation about the relationship between the Buddha Fa and human science of today and future. I'd like to quote some of Mr. Li's words to end this article.
"'The Buddha Fa' is the most profound, among all the theories in the world, it is the most intricate and extraordinary science. In order to explore this domain, humankind must fundamentally change their conventional thinking. Otherwise, the truth of the universe will forever remain a mystery to humankind, and everyday people will forever crawl within the boundary delimited by their own ignorance." ("Zhuan Falun")
(Translated on April 2,2001 from edited version of http://zhengjian.org/sci/sci/home/newscontent.asp?ID=8020
