“Spirit” comes from the Latin word “to breathe.” What we breathe is air, which is certainly matter, however thin. Despite usage to the contrary, there is no necessary implication in the word “spiritual” that we are talking of anything other than matter (including the matter of which the brain is made), or anything outside the realm of science. …Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize our place in the immensity of light-years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty, and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual. So are our emotions in the presence of great art or music or literature, or of acts of exemplary selfless courage such as those of Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. The notion that science and spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both.
–Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
A Mindful Life / Kathryn Harper
express : discover : renew : create
“Spirituality” is a word that has more than one meaning. Sagan’s meaning for it is more useful than most. I don’t know of another word that quite gets at what he’s referring to.
Yet, I’m inclined to use the word to indicate a sense, feeling or perception of connectedness to all things.
Were you aware that the philosopher and scientist, Sam Harris, not only believes that spirituality and science are compatible, but actually hopes to turn the study of spiirituality into a science? What do you make of that? Is it possible? Worthwhile?
This is amusing, Kathryn: Just before coming here and discovering your entry, I wrote an entry on my own blog on this very subject of spirituality and science. What are the odds of that?
I had not heard this about Sam Harris; I’m in the queue to borrow his books from the library. As for the study of spirituality as a science, I think it’s worthwhile. Although a true scientific exploration would require the strongest standards for evidence. Sagan’s book from which I took that quote does a wonderful job exploring the human hunger for the connection with something larger and how this hunger, our wish for what the world could be, must be carefully set aside when pursuing knowledge scientifically (examining the world as it is). There’s a new book out that I’m going to read as well: In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion, by Scott Atran. As for the odds of our synchronicity, you know the adage: great minds think alike. 🙂