Science and Religion – A Hindu Perspective – Multifaith Education Australia

Many attempts have been made to explore the relationship between what science and religion have to say about aspects of reality. Some Hindus want to see the Hindu scriptures anticipating developments in science. Some even look for parallels between the way these two ways of seeing the world talk about specific concepts such as time and energy. Other Hindu thinkers would say that religious and scientific views are in fact at loggerheads; if one is right, the other is wrong.

Others argue that here are two different kinds of narrative. Religion and science are not trying to tell the same story at all and attempts to assimilate the two fundamentally misunderstands both what science is trying to say and what religious traditions are trying to say. In this unit students have the opportunity to examine a few case studies and to consider whether an appropriate dialogue between some Hindu thinkers and aspects of the scientific enterprise has taken place. This unit consists of 3 lessons and is suitable for students aged from 16 to 19 years

Key Questions

Is there a uniform Hindu perspective on modern science?
How have some individuals attempted to engage in conversation between traditional Hindu understandings of the nature of reality and the views of modern science?
Is it possible, or even desirable, to attempt to find convergences between the languages of science and Hinduism?

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