Is mechanistic medicine the only kind that really works (ch.10)

In chapter 10 of The Science Delusion Rupert Sheldrake tackles an applied science – medicine. Mechanistic medicine, as he calls it, has a huge impact economically and socially. In many developed countries health expenditure takes a sizeable chunk of national budgets.

In his usual fashion Rupert Sheldrake covers mechanistic medicine chronologically. He observes that:

…animals and plants have been regenerating after damage , healing themselves and defending themselves against infections throughout the entire history of life on earth. All of us descended from animal and human forebears that survived and reproduced for hundreds of millions of years before the advent of doctors.

He claims that mechanistic medicine had some very impressive and beneficial early wins, such as the eradication of small pox, but the medical breakthroughs are not emerging so quickly and are much more expensive.

The corruption of science

The medical industry appears enmeshed in a web of corruption. The agency of corruption is the pursuit of profit. Rupert Sheldrake identifies now familiar ways that pharmaceutical research, publication and marketing processes are corrupt. The documentary, Marketing Madness, investigates these corruptions. It is a long video, but around 52 minutes, the safety of the drugs and research methods are investigated.

Ben Goldacre is an epidemiologist. In this TED talk, he talks about some of the trends eroding the integrity of science.

A Bahá’í perspective on health

A central Bahá’í principle is the essential harmony of Science and Religion. Bahá’u’lláh tells us to consult competent physicians, but also infers that those physicians are preferably “endued with divine understanding”.

Whatever competent physicians or surgeons prescribe for a patient should be accepted and complied with, provided that they are adorned with the ornament of justice. If they were to be endued with divine understanding, that would certainly be preferable and more desirable.[i]

The principle of moderation is central to the Bahá’í approach to healing.

In all circumstances they should conduct themselves with moderation; if the meal be only one course this is more pleasing in the sight of God; however, according to their means, they should seek to have this single dish be of good quality.[ii]

`Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that our foods will be our medicine.

Now let us speak of material healing.  The science of medicine is still in a condition of infancy; it has not reached maturity.  But when it has reached this point, cures will be performed by things which are not repulsive to the smell and taste of man – that is to say, by aliments, fruits and vegetables which are agreeable to the taste and have an agreeable smell.  For the provoking cause of disease – that is to say, the cause of the entrance of disease into the human body – is either a physical one or is the effect of excitement of the nerves.

But the principal causes of disease are physical, for the human body is composed of numerous elements, but in the measure of an especial equilibrium.  As long as this equilibrium is maintained, man is preserved from disease; but if this essential balance, which is the pivot of the constitution, is disturbed, the constitution is disordered, and disease will supervene.[iii]

Recent personal experience has reinforced this for me. I have a “competent physician”. Recently she told me was prediabetic and should consider medication. I instantly discounted this option, so she gave me a “prescription” – reduce or eliminate white flour, pasta, cakes, biscuits etc and white rice. It has had dramatic effect and I have lost about 9 kilos and am feeling much healthier. Ironically, this prescription didn’t give me access to any subsidised medicines. Dr Joel Fuhrman describes a prescription as a subsidised “free pass” to continue with an unhealthy lifestyle.

I purchased Dr Fuhrman’s The End of Diabetes. His advice fleshes out `Abdu’l-Bahá’s advice above. He states that the supplements based on knowledge of vitamins is not the full story. Vegetables contain hundreds of phytonutrients that contribute to a healthy, balanced diet.

Science can never stand still and embed the orthodox, it must keep pushing the boundaries. Such complexity of nutrition, as found naturally in vegetables could never be reproduced artificially. Why would you bother?

Here is Dr Fuhrman:

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[i]  Bahá’u’lláh: Health and Healing P. 459

[ii]  Bahá’u’lláh: Health and Healing P. 459

[iii] `Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions P. 257

Are psychic phenomena illusory? (ch 09)

Are psychic phenomena illusory? (ch 09)

In chapter nine of The Science Delusion Rupert Sheldrake asks “are psychic phenomena illusory?” He produces research based evidence of telepathy and precognition and states that many people experience psychic phenomena. He avoids the term “paranormal” as they are everyday occurrences – such as thinking about someone and getting a phone call from them. These occurrences can be dismissed as coincidence by the cynical, but ideally we keep an open mind.

Telepathy

Telepathy is the communication of thoughts or ideas by means other than the senses. It is more likely to happen between people who know each other well. Rupert Sheldrake has widely researched telepathy in animals, especially his research into dogs anticipating the return of their people. He cites the example of a terrier called Jaytee who started waiting for the return of his owner, Pam 85 times out of 100. Jaytee usually started waiting for Pam just before she set out for home, typically when she formed the intention to return. On the 15 occasions when Jaytee didn’t anticipate Pam’s return there were distractions, such as Jaytee being ill, or the presence of a bitch on heat in the next flat. This research was conducted under strict conditions with both Pam and Jaytee recorded on time stamped video.

Abdu’l-Bahá affirms that there is more to this world than meets the eye.

Know thou that the Kingdom is the real world, and this nether place is only its shadow stretching out. A shadow hath no life of its own; its existence is only a fantasy, and nothing more; it is but images reflected in water, and seeming as pictures to the eye.^[1]

He also asserts that “The reality of man is his thought, not his material body”. ^[2]

Precognition

A wide range of animals exhibit precognition. There are many recorded examples of animals being agitated or fleeing for higher ground well before the massive South East Asian tsunami of 2004. A friend of mine had repeated dreams about being in a Tsunami – in response to the impending threat, she would go around the house closing windows and doors. She went on holiday to Samoa and stayed on Lolomanu beach. When she felt the earthquake, she managed to stir her travelling companion and convince her that they needed to run. They scrambled up the hill as the tsunami swept up the beach.

`Abdu’l-Bahá has this to say about dreams:

Furthermore, this immortal human soul is endowed with two means of perception: One is effected through instrumentality; the other, independently. For instance, the soul sees through the instrumentality of the eye, hears with the ear, smells through the nostrils and grasps objects with the hands. These are the actions or operations of the soul through instruments. But in the world of dreams the soul sees when the eyes are closed. The man is seemingly dead, lies there as dead; the ears do not hear, yet he hears. The body lies there, but he – that is, the soul – travels, sees, observes. All the instruments of the body are inactive, all the functions seemingly useless. Notwithstanding this, there is an immediate and vivid perception by the soul. Exhilaration is experienced. The soul journeys, perceives, senses. It often happens that a man in a state of wakefulness has not been able to accomplish the solution of a problem, and when he goes to sleep, he will reach that solution in a dream. How often it has happened that he has dreamed, even as the prophets have dreamed, of the future; and events which have thus been foreshadowed have come to pass literally.^[3]

Rupert Sheldrake has been ostracised from science orthodoxy because of his research interests in psychic phenomena. His appeal for greater balance in science points to the benefits that might accrue from science liberated from materialistic doctrine.

Dropping the taboo against psychic phenomena would have a liberating effect on science. Scientists would no longer feel the need to pretend these phenomena are impossible. The word `skepticism’ would be liberated from its association with dogmatic denial. People would feel free to talk openly about their own experiences. Open-minded research would be able to take place within universities and some of this research would be applied in useful ways, for example in the development of animal-based warning systems for earthquakes and tsunamis…

You have probably had some experience of psychic phenomena, or known someone that has had a near death experience, or premonitions, intuitions, telepathy or some other phenomena. Please leave a comment.

P.S. if you have already seen Jeremy Rifkin’s video about the empathy, it includes evidence of empathic communication in everyday life.

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^[1] Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 177

^[2] Paris Talks, Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 17

^[3] The Promulgation of Universal Peace, Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 416

Rupert Sheldrake and the banned TEDx talk

Rupert Sheldrake’s recent Tedx Whitechapel talk was withdrawn from the Ted website in response to some criticism. This spawned a huge Internet debate. Ted made a hasty call that they are no doubt regretting. Skeptico’s Alex Tsakiris pointed out the irony of the situation. (image from John Ratcliffe’s blog)

A reputable scientist publishes a book claiming that science is dogmatic and is then censored by an anonymous scientific board. What does this say about how science can be dogmatic without even realising it is dogmatic?

Ted fielded complaints from people that Rupert Sheldrake identified as “militant atheists”. They labelled his talk “pseudo-science” and factually inaccurate. It soon becomes apparent that a bigger game is playing out. Rupert Sheldrake’s talk was analysed for any real or possible flaw. The object was not to examine the truth, but to engage in a contest. Any thought of moving to a greater understanding of the matters under investigation became casualties of the contest. And this is mirrored in the comments wars appended to the dozens of blogs discussing the issue.

The bigger picture

Rupert Sheldrake makes some excellent points about the paradigm shift happening in this Skeptico podcast. The wider discursive battle is about human consciousness. One one side, the materialists assert that human consciousness is a product of the human brain, on the other Rupert Sheldrake and others assert that consciousness transcends material reality. For the materialists, a human is a little like a machine. When the machine breaks, there is no more output. Rupert Sheldrake prefers the metaphor of the television set – the set might get broken, but transmission continues. What Rupert Sheldrake calls morphic resonance, I think of as spirit and soul.

I see this as the ongoing tension between science and religion. From the beginning of time the vast majority of mankind have believed in something beyond the material world. The enlightenment changed that. From the 17th Century thinkers began to question orthodoxy. In the late 1700s Baron d’Holbach began to advocate atheism.  Over decades, many more came to see religion as a scourge.  By the Twentieth Century, religion had effectively been displaced by science as the dominant system of knowledge. Ironically, atheism has become as dogmatic and fundamentalist as some of the more fundamentalist religionists. The strident voices of the fundamentalists on both sides, dichotomise these two great knowledge systems. The protagonists are more interested in identifying what is wrong and proving a point.

Are we seeing a paradigm change? Rupert Sheldrake comments that he has been pleasantly surprised by the outcry in protest of Ted’s removal of his video from their website. As modernity continues to die out in an increasingly interconnected world we are being exposed to more diversity in culture and thinking. We are becoming more comfortable with ambiguity and we as we (ideally) become both more independent and diverse in our thinking, it becomes easier to collapse dichotomies and see truth wherever it resides.

We have to be prepared to leave percussive debate behind and to cease being blinded by our dogma. Bahá’u’lláh points us in this direction in The Hidden Words.

The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor.

Based on Thomas Kuhn’s thinking, we know that when a paradigm change happens, initially the orthodoxy resists the change, and as more momentum for change happens their arguments become more strident. At some stage a tipping point is achieved and the new paradigm is established.

In other posts in this blog I have quoted `Abdu’l-Bahá appeal for the harmonising of science and religion.

(Thanks to Chris Martin Photography for the use of this image).

Despite the benefits both science and religion generate in our world, the excesses of superstition and materialism create significant harm. Another metaphor for the harmony of science religion is hydrogen and oxygen – they are powerful and dangerous in each other’s presence but when combined into a stable compound the most precious resource on the planet is produced. I suspect the progress we will make when we realise the synergy of science and religion will far surpass our achievements to date.

I remain a fan of TED. Many of their talks, especially those in the sustainability space are inspirational. Here is the Rupert Sheldrake’s banned talk – if you dare.

 

Is Matter Unconscious?

Rupert Sheldrake begins this chapter of The Science Delusion by reviewing materialist philosophies about consciousness concluding that “if all these theories sound unconvincing, that is because they are”.  He asserts that the “motives of the materialists is to support an anti-religious worldview”. At the risk of over generalising, materialist philosophies regard human consciousness as brain activity and nothing more.

After quickly debunking materialist thinking about consciousness he then goes onto explore thinking around panpschyism and other similar philosophies that propose that consciousness is embedded in all matter.

But attempting to understand non-material aspects of our world from the ground up using the tools of science and rationality appears futile. We are no nearer to any consensus or compelling theory than we were 200 years ago. Rather than relying on an incremental creep towards a better understanding – and I certainly wouldn’t anticipate any significant advances in my life time – the synergy of revelation and science is more likely to have the answers.

What is revelation?

Bahá’u’lláh tells us that God reveals knowledge to us through His Manifestations. These are the progenitors of the great religions such as Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Buddha, Moses and Krishna. They reveal knowledge relevant to the exigencies of the time and the capacity of humanity to use the information. Thus mankind’s social evolution is accelerated through the seed of Revelation. Evidence of the potency of revelation can be seen in the civilisations it has spawned. The physical and social sciences advance when knowledge is mined from the reveal word. Unfortunately progress is halted and even reversed as greedy men usurp the potency of Revelation for their own purposes.

All the Manifestations of God came with the same purpose, and they have all sought to lead men into the paths of virtue. Yet we, their servants, still dispute among ourselves! Why is it thus? Why do we not love one another and live in unity?

It is because we have shut our eyes to the underlying principle of all religions, that God is one, that He is the Father of us all, that we are all immersed in the ocean of His mercy and sheltered and protected by His loving care.(Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 119)

Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation is the most recent and most potent (given the increasing capacity of humanity to receive it). It provides us with a completely different starting point for our understanding of consciousness. The world is animated by spirit. Without the sustaining spirit of God, the world would cease to exist. Rupert Sheldrake’s concept of morphic resonance resonates with this concept.

The greatest power in the realm and range of human existence is spirit, – the divine breath which animates and pervades all things. (Abdu’l-Bahá, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Bahá Section, p. 260)

Abdu’l-Bahá elaborates on consciousness by reinforcing the primacy of the spiritual worlds stating “Know thou that the Kingdom is the real World, and this nether place is only as its shadow stretching out.” He also states that “the reality of man is his though, not his material body”.

Soul, mind and brain

The key to understanding the mind is the soul. The soul first associates with the body at conception. At death the body, which is composed of elements, decomposes, but the soul, being non-material and indivisible endures. The relationship between the body and the soul is often expressed in the Baha’i Writings as that of the mirror and the sun. The body (the mirror) reflects the light of the soul, but the soul is not part of the body. The mind can be thought of as the interplay of soul and brain. Consciousness is of the soul. The relationship between the body and the soul is often expressed in the Baha’i Writings as that of the mirror and the sun. The body (the mirror) reflects the light of the soul, but the soul is not part of the body. The mind can be thought of as the interplay of soul and brain. Consciousness is of the soul.

This universal mind is divine; it embraces existing realities, and it receives the light of the mysteries of God. It is a conscious power, not a power of investigation and of research. The intellectual power of the world of nature is a power of investigation, and by its researches it discovers the realities of beings and the properties of existences; but the heavenly intellectual power, which is beyond nature, embraces things and is cognizant of things, knows them, understands them, is aware of mysteries, realities and divine significations, and is the discoverer of the concealed verities of the Kingdom. This divine intellectual power is the special attribute of the Holy Manifestations and the Dawning-places of prophethood; a ray of this light falls upon the mirrors of the hearts of the righteous, and a portion and a share of this power comes to them through the Holy Manifestations.[i]

Rupert Sheldrake concludes the chapter by painting the stark contrast between the human experience as a result of interplay between the physical and chemical mechanisms of the brain, and the external environment – the materialist position, or amore engaged interaction between the choices of our conscious mind with the wider world. I know which I prefer.  How about you?

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[i] `Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 217

 

Uniting the world

Our mission, as Bahá’ís, is to unite the World. Bahá’u’lláh states:

The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh , p. 285)

The unity of mankind is the culmination of human social evolution. Over time we have adopted wider and wider loyalties. In earlier days our loyalty was only to the tribe or village. There was always an enemy just over the hill. The exponential technological advances since the Báb declared the opening of a new age in 1844, enable us to connect with people all over the globe, either in person, through transportation technology or through communication technologies. We have come to learn that we are all the same; We are one big human family.

Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship.

(Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 14)

The technology of space travel and photography has helped us to see our future in a world without borders – the one homeland for the human race.

Our Fragile Oasis – with the music of Peter Gabriel

Bahá’u’lláh has provided us with the superstructure of a new world order. To a degree not possible in previous dispensations (religions), He has provided the Laws and institutional framework required for a global society. Here, Shoghi Effendi writes about mankind’s destiny based on the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and `Abdu’l-Bahá.

…”The whole earth,” He, moreover, has stated, “is now in a state of pregnancy. The day is approaching when it will have yielded its noblest fruits, when from it will have sprung forth the loftiest trees, the most enchanting blossoms, the most heavenly blessings.” “All nations and kindreds,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá likewise has written, “…will become a single nation. Religious and sectarian antagonism, the hostility of races and peoples, and differences among nations, will be eliminated. All men will adhere to one religion, will have one common faith, will be blended into one race, and become a single people. All will dwell in one common fatherland, which is the planet itself.”

(Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 116)

 Our role  

Another radical change from the days when we were never ultimately safe from the threat of outsiders is our level of maturity. We now have the spiritual and intellectual independence not to have to rely on figureheads. In a united world, we may still have queens, kings and presidents, but leadership comes from the guidance provided by Bahá’u’lláh. We are quickly gaining the capacity to look after ourselves.

The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbour. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behoveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.’

(Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 36)

The guidance and institutions he has outlined for us constitute the DNA of a world order. Everything is there waiting for us to enact it enabling it to grow organically in the context of the times. It is neither over-prescriptive nor lacking the necessary detail.

Our role is to express His guidance in our own lives. If we learn to embody His teachings in our lives, we can not help but attract others to us. Thus the new civilisation will grow from individuals, families and neighbourhoods.

The attributes of God are the virtues of humanity. We were made to reflect those attributes – to polish the mirrors of our character so that we can reflect God to others. We were created in His image, in the image of his attributes. Our progress towards a peaceful world will depend on our ability to manifest attributes such as love and unity in our dealings with others.

 

Rupert Sheldrake’s 10 questions – 3, Are the laws of nature fixed?

In this chapter, from Science Set Free Rupert Sheldrake asserts that nature has evolving habits rather than fixed laws. As with his earlier chapters he traces the origins and development of scientific thinking about the laws of nature. The ancient Greeks believed the world was ordered by divine intelligence. This concept morphed over time to the widely held materialist-science concept that laws of nature are inherent in nature and govern phenomena.

He asks, “if everything else evolves, why don’t the laws of nature evolve along with nature?” As with other doctrines of science the concept that nature has laws is deeply embedded in scientific thinking. Rupert Sheldrake points out that these constant laws of nature aren’t necessarily constant. For example, the Universal Gravitational Constant has varied between 6.6659 and 6.734 between 1973 and 2010. Of course these discrepancies are conveniently explained away as errors of measurement.

Morphic resonance

This is the first chapter where Rupert Sheldrake elaborates on his morphic resonance theory.

Similar patterns of activity resonate across time and space with subsequent patterns. This hypothesis applies to all self-organising systems, including atoms, molecules, crystals, cells, plants, animals and animal societies.

For example, if a mineral crystal adapts a new crystalline form, that new form can quickly be replicated in other similar crystals, regardless of proximity. The morphic field somehow guides the growth, movement and development of the entity or the social entity. I am writing this post on holiday at Glinks Gully on the West Coast of Northland, New Zealand and I see examples of morphic resonance in action. The toheroa is a large bivalve mollusc that lives in the sand in the intertidal zone. On rare occasions I have seen thousands of toheroa rise out of the sand as one and move up, or down the beach carried by a wave. Their timing is immaculate and synchronised. The existence of some superordinate force helps to explain the precision of this phenomenon. It is similar to the movement of birds in a flock.

`Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that everything in the natural world is animated by spirit. The mineral kingdom is animated by the forces of unity – the cohesion that binds everything together. The plant kingdom picks up on the animating force of growth and the animal kingdom on the powers of the senses. Each responds to spirit in the manner that a radio can pick up radio waves. Indigenous peoples have similar beliefs. In the Maori culture everything is animated by wairua (spirit). Everything is alive-there is no boundary between the living and the non-living.

As to the existence of spirit in the mineral: it is indubitable that minerals are endowed with a spirit and life according to the requirements of that stage. This unknown secret, too, hath become known unto the materialists who now maintain that all beings are endowed with life, even as He saith in the Qur’án, ‘All things are living’. (from `Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablet to Dr. August Forel).

In an earlier blog, I referred to William Hatcher’s assertion that religion is “top down” (it paints the big picture) and science is “bottom up” (it fills in the details). In searching for the driving force of morphic resonance, Rupert Sheldrake would benefit from exploring `Abdu’l-Bahá’s thinking.

Habits and creativity

Rupert Sheldrake pairs creativity with habits as the driving forces of evolution. Creativity is essential:

…through creativity, new patterns of organisation arise; those that survive and are repeated become increasingly habitual. Some new patterns are favoured by natural selection and some are not.

From a Bahá’í perspective, the universe is a reflection of God’s attributes. According to Bahá’u’lláh:

Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, Creator. Its manifestations are diversified by varying causes, and in this diversity there are signs for men of discernment. Nature is God’s Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world.

Creativity is one of those attributes, manifested by the Creator. Of all created things, people most clearly reflect the attribute of creativity.

Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is endowed with such potency as can instill new life into every human frame, if ye be of them that comprehend this truth. All the wondrous works ye behold in this world have been manifested through the operation of His supreme and most exalted Will, His wondrous and inflexible Purpose. Through the mere revelation of the word “Fashioner,” issuing forth from His lips and proclaiming His attribute to mankind, such power is released as can generate, through successive ages, all the manifold arts which the hands of man can produce. This, verily, is a certain truth. No sooner is this resplendent word uttered, than its animating energies, stirring within all created things, give birth to the means and instruments whereby such arts can be produced and perfected. All the wondrous achievements ye now witness are the direct consequences of the Revelation of this Name. (Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 140)

Are habits and laws compatible?

`Abdu’l-Bahá states clearly that the laws of nature are fixed, so is there a conflict between the concepts of laws and habits?

Man transcends nature, while the mineral, vegetable and animal are helplessly subject to it. This can be done only through the power of the spirit, because the spirit is the reality. (Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 241)

`Abdu’l-Bahá states clearly that plants and animals can not deviate from the laws of nature, but people can, inferring some force beyond nature at play. When materialist scientists are forced, by their denial of a Creator, to theorise a world without spirit, they are handicapping their ability to fully understand the workings of the universe.  Thank God for scientists of the calibre and breadth of vision of Rupert Sheldrake.

Footnote:

Tom Price recently gave a talk on the relationship between science and religion entitled Transformation of the World.

Truthfulness – the foundation of all human virtues

While studying Reflections on the life of the Spirit, recently, I came across Bahá’u’lláh’s quote “Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues”. The next quote was “Without truthfulness, progress and success, in all the worlds of God, are impossible for any soul”.

Bahá’u’lláh likens His Revelation to an ocean and encourages us to immerse ourselves “in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths”[1]. No matter how many times we encounter His Words, we are still able to find new meaning. This time, I made new connections to my work.

For the last two decades I have been both a student and a teacher of business. A major dimension of my work has been to find those places where the worldviews of my Faith and the business worldview agree. In the Bahá’í Writings qualities of character are often presented as the primary means for the betterment of the world. Bahá’u’lláh tells of the radiant nature of good character:

A good character is, verily, the best mantle for men from God. With it He adorneth the temples of His loved ones. By My life! The light of a good character surpasseth the light of the sun and the radiance thereof. Whoso attaineth unto it is accounted as a jewel among men. The glory and the upliftment of the world must needs depend upon it.[2]

In an earlier post, I quoted `Abdu’l-Bahá’s prescription for organisational effectiveness, written in 1875 in The Secret of Divine Civilisation:

The primary purpose, the basic objective, in laying down powerful laws and setting up great principles and institutions dealing with every aspect of civilization, is human happiness; and human happiness consists only in drawing closer to the Threshold of Almighty God, and in securing the peace and well-being of every individual member, high and low alike, of the human race; and the supreme agencies for accomplishing these two objectives are the excellent qualities with which humanity has been endowed. (page 60)

He stresses human qualities as the “agencies” for achieving the high purpose He envisions for our institutions. Decades later, Shoghi Effendi, on the eve of the Second World War, pointed to qualities of character as essential requisites for community functioning: “This rectitude of conduct, with its implications of justice, equity, truthfulness, honesty, fair-mindedness, reliability, and trustworthiness, must distinguish every phase of the life of the Bahá’í community.”[3]

Similar sentiments from the world of business

When I find business thinkers who focus on values and qualities of character I take more notice of what they have to say. Business thinkers such as Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Muhammad Yunus, Daniel Goleman and the late CK Prahalad identify the importance of good character and they highlight those companies that exemplify the expression of collective character. As a further example, in this video Tom Peters provides a very direct and powerful message about the quality of respect.

Unfortunately there is a massive character deficit in today’s business environment. And tinkering around the edges, or trying to retrofit qualities of character won’t close the gap. We need to redesign the majority our businesses from the ground up. The heinous abuses of corporate power are abundantly clear to most of us. The worst examples that have been exposed have pursued profit at any cost. We need profitable companies, but profit must not came at the expense of `Abdu’l-Baha’s aspirations mentioned earlier – “human happiness” and the “securing the peace and well-being” of all people. On the firm foundation of these aspirations, fostering qualities of character, in all of our institutions, from pre-school right up to the boardroom must be a priority.

So why is truthfulness, the foundation of all human virtues? Here is another happy convergence between my Faith and business thinking. The concept of the learning organisation, articulated very clearly in this video by Harvard’s Amy Edmondson and David Garvin, outlines a need for truthfulness. There must be congruence between the underlying ethos of the organisation and its behaviour. Employees need an environment where truthfulness is encouraged and rewarded. And the motivations of the enterprise must be clear for all to see.

In the soil of truthfulness, other qualities of character will take root and thrive.

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[1] Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 136

[2] Tablets of Baha’u’llah, p. 36

[3] Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 23

Nine things you can do for world peace – part two

Part one of this post outlined how world peace is within our reach and elaborated on five things each of us can do to bring it closer.

1. Re-conceive our basic assumptions about the nature of people
2. Think of ourselves as global citizens
3.  Beware of ideology
4.  Purge ourselves from racism
5. Be aware of the plight of the poor.

Here are the other four actions.

6. Respect other religions

It is unfortunate that many of the followers of the great religions regard one another as competitors when, in reality, there is only one God and one Religion. As God revealed His teachings in different historical contexts, separated by time and space, people have perceived them to be different. While there are many similarities, people tend to focus on differences in order to privilege their faith over the faith of others. The oneness of religion is a frequently emphasised in the Bahá’í Writings.

There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose.

Bahá’u’lláh  [1]

With this perspective, one cause of war evaporates.

7. Raise the status of women

Over 100 years ago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá noted a shift in the balance of power was underway in the world. He teaches us that as women have more say, the world will become more peaceful.

The world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be an age less masculine and more permeated with the feminine ideals . . . an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more evenly balanced.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá [2]

We can make a difference by respecting and honouring the women in our lives. Even in Western countries where the equality of men and women has advanced considerably, there is still much progress to be made.

8. Educate our children

Educated people are less likely to support war. Effective education includes both material and spiritual education. It’s not enough just to provide material education – to meet our career and economic needs. A big part of spiritual education is learning about virtues or qualities of character. If children learn to treat one another with kindness and justice, it is just a matter of scale to extend that thinking to the entire human race. `Abdu’l-Bahá emphasises the importance of spiritual education and suggests that spiritual education is more important than material education.

Training in morals and good conduct is far more important than book learning. A child that is cleanly, agreeable, of good character, well-behaved even though he be ignorant is preferable to a child that is rude, unwashed, ill-natured, and yet becoming deeply versed in all the sciences and arts. The reason for this is that the child who conducts himself well, even though he be ignorant, is of benefit to others, while an ill-natured, ill-behaved child is corrupted and harmful to others, even though he be learned. If, however, the child be trained to be both learned and good, the result is light upon light. [3]

9. Communicate

Social media has made a significant difference in shrinking the world and enabling us to connect with people of diverse backgrounds. Anything that breaks down communication barriers will help to develop a more peaceful world. Another of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings is the adoption of an international auxiliary language to facilitate communication and understanding.

All of these nine actions contribute to building world unity, the essential foundation of world peace. All of them are within our power to action – local action can lead to world peace. One of the encouraging themes of the The Promise of World Peace is that peace is inevitable. I’ll finish with its opening paragraph.

The Great Peace towards which people of good will throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations. For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World peace is not only possible but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet–in the words of one great thinker, “the planetization of mankind”.[4]

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[1]Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh http://www.bahai-library.com/writings/bahaullah/gwb/111.html

[2] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men, A Statement of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States: http://info.bahai.org/article-1-9-1-9.html

[3]Selections from the Writings of `Abdu’l-Bahá, Sec. 110, pp. 135-136.

[4]The Promise of World Peace – A Statement of the Universal House of Justice. http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-2-1.html

Science and religion part two – devout scientists

In part one `Abdu’l-Baha’s thinking about the essential harmony of science and religion set the theme for this series of posts.

Religion and science are the two wings upon which man’s intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism.[1]

For the purposes of this discussion, we can think about three broad perspectives on the relationship between science and religion:

• religious fundamentalists – people who deny the validity of science based on their interpretation of their Faith
• materialist fundamentalists – people who deny the validity of religion based on their beliefs
• moderates – people who may or may not have a Faith, who accept the validity of both religion and science.

This diagram attempts to represent the relationship between these broad categories. The fundamentalists, on both sides, see each other’s worldviews as competing with their own, and therefore a threat to their belief systems. The energy they put into debunking the opposing position is probably in proportion to their perception of threat.

I believe the starkness of the fundamentalist view makes the moderates much more interesting. This group comprises probably the majority of people in the world and they will range from people with deep religious convictions to scientists and academics who are open-minded about religion. The thinking of those scientists who have an avowed Faith have credibility in both worlds. Here are some examples – a Muslim, Christian and a Bahá’í.

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi was a Persian Sunni Muslim theologian, scientist, historian and philosopher. He was born in 1149 and died in 1209. His science was based on the Quran and he hypothesised about the existence of worlds, rather than a single world. He states:

It is established by evidence that there exists beyond the world a void without a terminal limit, and it is established as well by evidence that God Most High has power over all contingent beings. Therefore He the Most High has the power to create a thousand thousand worlds beyond this world such that each one of those worlds be bigger and more massive than this world as well as having the like of what this world has … The arguments of the philosophers for establishing that the world is one are weak, flimsy arguments founded upon feeble premises.[2]

If thinkers of this man’s calibre had been taken more seriously, the Europeans might not have laboured under the misconception that the world is flat for so long. My previous post mentioned some of the sciences Islam used including spherical geometry and spherical trigonometry, suggesting that they knew they were living on a sphere.

Werner Heisenberg

Werner Heisenberg remains a controversial figure. As a German scientist he was assisting the Nazis to develop an atomic bomb during World War II. He was awarded the 1932 Nobel prize for physics and established the uncertainty principle of quantum theory. Heisenberg was a Lutheran Christian. In 1973 he delivered a speech to the Catholic Academy of Bavaria entitled Scientific and Religious Truth.

In what follows, then, we shall first of all deal with the unassailability and value of scientific truth, and then with the much wider field of religion, of which – so far as the Christian religion is concerned – Guardini himself has so persuasively written; finally – and this will be the hardest part to formulate – we shall speak of the relationship of the two truths.[3]

Auguste Forel

Auguste Forel , born in Switzerland in 1848, was a Swiss myrmecologist, neuroanaotomist and psychiatrist. He was a co-founder of neuron theory and a pioneer of sexology. In his younger days he was an atheist and racist. In 1920 he joined the Bahá’í Faith. The principles of his new Faith aligned with his quest for social justice and world peace.

This is the true religion of human social good, without dogmas or priests, uniting all men on this small terrestrial globe of ours. I have become a Bahá’í. May this religion live and prosper for the good of mankind; this is my most ardent wish.[4]

Auguste Forel died in 1931. From 1978 to 2000, Forel was honoured by his country with his image on the 1000 franc banknote.[5]

These three men are just an example of people at the pinnacle of science who were able to reconcile religion and science. Alongside them are millions, ranging from career scientists, to science teachers, to those working with applied science in diverse fields, or simply thinkers that are interested in the world.

I have taught botany and soil science in tertiary education. Learning about the geology of the planet and the amazing complexity of soil and the intricate beauty and design of the natural world only served to enhance my Faith.

Please comment about others who live comfortably in both worlds.

Sunflower image from http://morguefile.com/archive/display/169888

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[1]  `Abdu’l-Bahá , Paris Talks, p. 143

[2] from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fakhr_al-Din_al-Razi#cite_note-Setia-3 Arabic translations have been deleted.

[3] from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Heisenberg

[4] From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Forel

[5] image from Wikipedia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/CHF1000_6_front_horizontal.png

Science and religion

One hundred years ago today, `Abdu’l-Bahá was sailing towards New York, bringing His Father’s Faith to the new world. I believe him to be the finest theologian of the 20^th century. Although He had been an exile and prisoner for most of His life, He was eloquent and erudite on matters of religion, but was equally comfortable elaborating on philosophy and science.

The venues he spoke in in North America – churches, synagogues and mosques, reflect the breadth of his vision and His call to unity. His appeal for people to reconcile their differences parallels His appeal for religion and science to agree.

Religion and science are the two wings upon which man’s intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism.[1]

The greatest scientist of the 20^th Century, Albert Einstein, would later echo `Abdu’l-Bahá’s comments.[2]

`Abdu’l-Bahá identifies both religion and science as potent forces for human development. How sad that over 100 later, we still see these two great forces unreconciled.

A Bahá’í mathematician William Hatcher elaborates on the relationship between science and religion, presenting them as complementary tools for human advancement.

Science is bottom up – it starts by observation and goes up towards an abstract description of larger and larger portions of reality and religion is top down – it starts with a global description of the whole of reality and comes down. And that’s why you need both religion and science, you can’t do with just one… From the Bahá’í point of view, science is just as important for the spiritual development of the human being as is religion.

Learning from the past – the example of Islam

Of all the great religions, perhaps the best example of a complementary and productive relationship between science and religion comes from Islam. A dominant Eurocentric/secular world-view has discounted or ignored the contribution of Islam’s golden age between the 8^th and 16^th centuries. In the Islamic world the study and application of the Quran posed problems such as the direction of the Qibla, thus accelerating the development of sciences such as astronomy, geography, spherical geometry and spherical trigonometry. The word algebra is from the Arabic Al-jebr. Under Islam great universities were established. Applied sciences such as medicine and agriculture also thrived. Perhaps the greatest contribution of Islam was adaptation and development of zero (from earlier Hindi science). [3]

Science and philosophy were close companions in those days. Bahá’u’lláh quotes a Persian mystic poem that appears to enshrine scientific insight:

Split the atom’s heart, and lo! Within it thou wilt find a sun.[4]

Hitting the sweet spot

It took about 500 years for the Europeans to adopt zero, most likely because of their contempt and suspicion of Islam. If we regard religion and science as complementary and offering different perspectives on the world, creating greater tolerance between these two disciplines can only benefit mankind. If we can transcend the current disconnect between science and religion great synergies will be created.

On the other hand, if religion is unable to free itself from doctrinal limitations it will be irrelevant to science. And without the global perspective offered by religion, science will continue to excel at producing more consumer goods that may ultimately cause our undoing. Bahá’u’lláh alerts us to the perils of unbridled material development:

Whoso cleaveth to justice, can, under no circumstances, transgress the limits of moderation. He discerneth the truth in all things, through the guidance of Him Who is the All-Seeing. The civilization, so often vaunted by the learned exponents of arts and sciences, will, if allowed to overleap the bounds of moderation, bring great evil upon men. Thus warneth you He Who is the All-Knowing. If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of evil as it had been of goodness when kept within the restraints of moderation.[5]

Future posts in this series will feature:

• Devout scientists – brief bios of those pursuing scientific enquiry and the knowledge of God.
• The Divine origins of the explosion of knowledge – a Bahá’í perspective on the exponential growth of knowledge.
• Thinking traps that polarise science and religion.
• Gems from revelation – some concepts from Bahá’u’lláh that will provide fertile ground for scientific enquiry.
• Creation and evolution – a Bahá’í perspective.

References

[1] `Abdu’l-Bahá , Paris Talks, p. 143

[2] Albert Einstein, from a paper prepared for initial meeting of the Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion in Their Relation to the Democratic Way of Life, New York City, September 9-11, 1940.

[3] Read more on Islam and Science at Wikipedia

[4] Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys

[5] Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh page 342-343