Politicians Misuse Science
"Political monism leads in practice to excessive privilege and power for the few and oppression for the many." ~ Aldous Huxley
The invocation of the term, follow the science during the COVID fiasco, is a milestone in political manipulation and absurdity. If the United States government had suddenly declared, follow the laws of God, it would have made more sense, although the Constitution specifically forbids involving religion with legislation or administration — and for good reason.
Religion and politics have been entwined in a long dark history, and the relationship between science and politics bears some resemblance.
Conflicts between religions have initiated violence, wars, and atrocities. Some religious leaders have been very political, and distracted by material issues of control and power. There are ongoing battles between religious factions where economic and territorial disputes are the primary underlying cause. It is usually not spiritual rivalries that cause hostilities, rather clerics and politicians stoke emotions with theological issues as a ruse to strengthen their positions for material gain.
The U.S. Constitution attempts to keep these conflicts at bay while at the same time, assuring the right to religious freedom without meddling from the government.
Recently, science has been presented as a new religion, with similar risks. In blindness to common sense, politicians have joined the chorus who believe that material technological advances represent the ultimate human accomplishment. The pretense that science can be relied upon for providing objective standards is ludicrous. We have recently witnessed how quickly erroneous science can be used to cause serious damage to democracy.
Science Investigates, Religion Interprets
Scientific understanding and religious ethics might have a place in guiding government decisions, although neither can be simply followed. Applying either indiscriminately sets a dangerous precedent; it is helpful to consider their strengths, weaknesses, and differences.
The relationship between religion and science has initiated a great debate over hundreds of years. Opinions vary within two extremes; one is that they are mutually exclusive and best kept separate, and the other is that they are inextricably intertwined. Philosophical analysis is often complex and unresolved, although some great thinkers have attempted to simplify and summarize how they interrelate.
Science investigates, religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power, religion gives man wisdom which is control. Science deals mainly with facts, religion deals with values. The two are not rivals. They are complementary. ~ Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. King’s explanation makes it very clear that religion has, at its core a unification theory that can interpret and guide science with wisdom and values.
All of the world’s religions justify themselves based on a view of reality that includes some defined order of creation. A clergy or scripture reinforces or guides a way of life based on doctrines that attempt to explain the human condition. Devotees obey an interpretation of laws that are presented as emanating from an omnipotent and undefiable deity or unknowable source. Traditions and rules are followed in order to be in accord with a complete and unswerving paradigm of reality.
A spiritual and religious approach to life endeavors to believe in a unifying vision of reality that provides answers and motivation for attitudes and behavior.
Ideally, religious practices that don’t conflict with the freedoms of other individuals nor harm their disciples are tolerated and are integral to society. A spiritual approach to life functions to help understand humanity’s place in the universe, and provide ethical guidance. The common humanistic themes of religions have engendered some social order and compassion. And those who are atheists or agnostics often embrace ethical codes derived from religion.
Even considering the repetition and frequency of conflicts that appear in the name of religion, the instinct to see and seek a harmonious world — remains the essence of the spiritual quest.
Science has no such central mission or moral code because it is confined to the examination of material things and the processes that affect them.
Scientists continue to search for a grand unified theory and a theory of everything. This elusive endeavor to explain the behavior of all phenomena goes on with conflicting results because of the unwillingness to accept that we can not understand everything in material terms or language. This central tenet of all religious beliefs reflects a recognition of our miraculous existence, which science can’t comprehend.
Whereas religion can process the unknowable as an essence of deity, at best science claims it’s just a matter of time before it will explain everything. Conflicts with previous theories are deemed mysteries that will eventually be unraveled, although currently unknowable. Yet Quantum entanglement has demonstrated how little is understood about the basic behavior of the smallest particles of matter. When so-called laws of physics are progressively broken, and nature is deemed by scientists as unavoidably random, the lack of humility is apparent.
Until recently, science wasn’t used to rationalize demands or justify conflict because it has no central ethical core, nor the ability to decipher connectedness, although it aspires to do so.
The high priests of science revel in the government's appreciation of its elevated status as the arbiter of all things. But the false gods of science are easily exposed.
The truth is that science has no value on its own. So it is troubling how often over the last few years authorities have demanded that science should be followed; as if it was an incontestable, monolithic, objective body of knowledge.
In what is an overt bold pretense of scientific dominance, dictates have been generated to enforce the perspective of a self-righteous, powerful group of corporate and political leaders. They claim that they have access to an area of science that justifies their purview, and defies all others. Similar to all dogmatic religious decrees, consideration of alternative viewpoints or conflicting data is forbidden.
The attempt to squelch free speech and debate, particularly by invoking science, is a sign of absolute weakness. In particular, using technology to enforce dominion, as if it had the power of spiritual authority, is a milestone in the rise of idiocracy.
This is not to say that science has no worthiness; the analysis and knowledge gained from science are important. Insights and inventions can be appreciated when applied to human endeavors, supporting everything from basic needs to the joys of living. But their value is neither inherent nor worthy of worship; their benefit is relative only to the verifiable success of their application.
Forcing A Unified View
The attempt to sway public opinion in a pied-piper-like way, with a demand to follow the science, is a classic totalitarian tactic. In addition to recognizing that scientists or doctors should never be put on a pedestal nor their opinions be used to enforce mandates, we might examine the motives of those who would do so.
Here it may be remarked that the cult of unity on the political level is only an idolatrous ersatz for the genuine religion of unity on the personal and spiritual levels. Totalitarian regimes justify their existence by means of a philosophy of political monism, according to which the state is God on earth, unification under the heel of the divine state is salvation, and all means to such unification, however intrinsically wicked, are right and may be used without scruple. This political monism leads in practice to excessive privilege and power for the few and oppression for the many, to discontent at home and war abroad. But excessive privilege and power are standing temptations to pride, greed, vanity, and cruelty; oppression results in fear and envy; war breeds hatred, misery, and despair. All such negative emotions are fatal to the spiritual life. Only the pure in heart and poor in spirit can come to the unitive knowledge of God. Hence, the attempt to impose more unity upon societies than their individual members are ready for makes it psychologically almost impossible for those individuals to realize their unity with the divine Ground and with one another. ~ Aldous Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy
The central greatest flaw with the government’s demand to treat science as an infallible iconic tower of knowledge is that it requires an act of unquestionable faith to do so — as if it were a religion.
Political leaders in the United States need to be reminded that instead of following science, they should adhere to the Constitution.
Faith is belief without reason.
Religion is the secular ordering of those with faith in that which is unknowable by means of reason.
Belief in the unknowable is a category distinct from religion. Religion represents behavioral reinforcement.
Those who consider scientific methodology unknowable are vulnerable to behavioral reinforcement imposed by a secular hierarchy.
This is how we have arrived at the point in time where science mimics religion and we are facing the Kafkaesque prospect of secular faith.
Ethics. This invaluable word is conveniently, consistently missing from all business, political and scientific conversations. Religion is supposed to guide us in ethics however it isn’t necessary in order to practice values and morals at the individual level.
Any individual who believes they know what’s better for anyone else but themselves, is unethical. Any individual who believes they have more rights then the next person, is unethical. Any individual who stands by and does nothing when others are clearly being abused and mistreated for ANY REASON, is unethical. You may point the finger at fear, cowardice, ignorance, whatever you want... we each know at our core that harming even one person is wrong. Why? Because that one person could be you. It doesn’t matter how much training or education or experience or money or status an individual has, what happens to one of us, could happen to all of us. No one can escape suffering and death.
What we do as individuals matters. Every single choice, every single interaction can impact another. No life is more valuable than any other life. Period.
We are each a miracle. We are each divine creatures. We each have a unique perspective and unique purpose to fulfill. All life is precious and sacred and should be treated as such.