Searching for the Truth
At first glance philosophy, religion and science seem as far removed from each other as the north and south poles. Followers of pure science, logical philosophy and devout religious conviction are zealous in their shared search for Ultimate Truth. However, they will not, within the near future, be able to create a relationship of mutual respect and research, by the sheer lack of their willingness to compromise and see that each path seeks the same Truth, only by different means. Those who believe devoutly in their religious practices see science as a sacrilege to the profound connection to the Divine. Science is a threat to religious belief because scientific fact is replacing long held religious truths. “Relativity Theory in physics drastically reinterprets the concepts of space, time and causality and thus challenges all religious perspectives that relate God to the world.” (Peterson 239) Religion sees science as the enemy to faith, while science sees religion as blindly clinging to antiquated folklore and myth in the face of cold hard facts. Philosophy takes no sides in its pursuit for truth. It is slave to truth, but neither accepts science completely, as it knows that something’s even science cannot create a workable hypothesis for. At this time in human development philosophy understands that science cannot yet test the reality of a God. It cannot test what it cannot tangibly see, touch or contain. Philosophy demands logic and reason support the claims of both science and religion, yet at this time there appears to be very little fact to support the existence of God or the Non-existence of God. The philosophical debate has raged since the time of Plato and Socrates. The question of what is reality, what is existence, what is purpose fills the minds of every generation. And though Science, Religion and Philosophy search for the answer in their own unique way, they are searching for the same answer. It is in that search that they are most alike. If they will ever work hand in hand to answer the questions that fill our universe remains to be seen, each adherent is vehement that their way is the only way in which truth lies.
Religion demands faith for the sake of faith. Philosophy logic and reason beyond all doubt and science demands testable hypotheses. And none of them have yet to prove their superiority over the other in the number who follows them. Advocates for Philosophy are just as devout as any religious zealot, the factual, data oriented scientist worships at the altar of science and yet none will yield to the fact that all of them demand the same question from the universe, an answer none of them have received yet. A true philosopher may be swayed by the very logic that an answer has not yet been defined so therefore no ultimate truth has yet been perceived so perhaps the religious path may yet hold the answers philosophy has yet to define. By sheer logic alone might they indeed attempt to establish a relationship, a merging of religion, philosophy and of science. Pure science however, though based on logic, is rooted in fact and the scientist, though open to logic itself, eschews the beliefs of religion because they are based on religious texts and dogma that was created by man through centuries of societal integrations. Even the roots of the world’s most prominent religions are rooted in oral tradition and ancient scrolls that were passed down through generations, corrupted and changed by those in power. There is no substantive fact to persuade the scientific mind to accept religious belief and experience as a means of seeking the Ultimate Answer. And religion will not accept that logic, reason and fact are the only ways to prove the truth of belief. “For a sincere religious believer, the most fundamental assumptions are found in the religious belief system itself.” (Peterson 49) The religious person accepts on faith what logic and reason cannot. The relationship cannot be formed it neither of the parties will admit that their way is not the sole way to truth.