I have been thinking a lot recently about what I want to do with my life and what major I see myself pursuing. I know that we are only freshmen and we have time to experiment and decide; however, most of my trouble has been deciding which of my interests to pursue because many of them differ dramatically, or so I thought. Growing up, and even occasionally at Middlebury, I have felt pressure to choose between either stem or humanities. It upsets me to think that I might not be able to study what I am truly passionate about because a border exists between my interests. As a way to remedy my diverging interests, I am interested in potentially transcending some of those borders as a way to gain a better understanding of both.
A specific roadblock for me thus far has been choosing to study either religion or science, which are notoriously conflicting fields. I do not see myself as a particularly religious person, but I do view myself as somewhat spiritual, and I enjoy studying other religions and their origins. Recently, I have been wondering if there is a common denominator between religion and science. A common thought is that as one becomes more scientifically aware, they begin to lose touch with religion because it is deemed no longer relevant in explaining previously inexplicable phenomena – and this is especially the case as science and technology continue to advance at an exponential rate. But there is more to religion than just believing in a God, and sometimes religion can just be about feeling spiritual and in touch with the world. I find that as I learn more about the world and how it works, I am reaffirmed spiritually because only a God of some sort could have created such complex creations. I do not necessarily see myself as a creationist, but I do believe that there is more to the origin of life than just evolution. In Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species, he concluded by saying “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” Whether life was created by a Creator or through scientific processes, there is something spiritual about the world’s beauty, and I have found that I feel most spiritual when I am outside surrounded by nature, or when I am experiencing the world’s intricate creations.
I am curious as to how we can further bridge the gap between the disciplines because I think that we have much to learn from crossing the pre-existing borders. I am not sure how religion’s presence or lack thereof plays a role in many of your lives, but I am interested to know if you think that religion and science can or should converge, and if so where?
-Isabelle
I think it’s definitely possible for you to discover the commonalities between science and spirituality. I don’t know what aspect of science interests you, but quantum physics have a lot in common with spirituality. Isn’t spirituality all about accepting that some things are unknowable and uncontrollable? Quantum physics acts the same way. It’s based off of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, which is the idea that you can know either the position of a particle or the momentum, but not both. I personally find the idea crazy interesting, but I think as science progresses we’ll find this concept in other areas as well. Some things are beyond our human comprehension.
Isabelle, I really resonated with this. It’s difficult to transgress the borders of academic disciplines without feeling lost.
This made me think of Pavlos’s quote at dinner last week; how the best advice for Middlebury students is to “pick one area to focus on, dedicate your time to that thing, and become an expert in that field.” I agree that this would guarantee four years of meaningful work, but it’s also important- especially at a liberal arts college- to craft an interdisciplinary experience that is tailored to your interests.
It’s interesting how courses can complement one another, yet can be contradictory when it comes to religion and science. During a confirmation class, my classmate questioned the existence of a higher authority. The pastor was actually very supportive of the student’s openminded ways of thinking. He simply replied that religious faith is internal, and doesn’t require proof. Religion and science converge when people carry both knowledge and faith within themselves.
I struggled a lot with religion when I was younger. My family did not consistently attend church, nor was I educated in any form of denominational belief. Despite my parents attending Catholic services throughout their entire adolescence, being forced into these religious communities since childhood, they sought to liberate my brother and me in dictating our own spirituality. I often felt spiteful towards them for this decision. All of my friends growing up would attend church services with consistency; my mother and I never frequented a place of worship more than twice. Although I can say I have experienced nearly every religious tradition, it would be false to claim I have felt a spiritual association within any of these establishments. My search for this connection was desperate. I gave up after my mom and I left a church service in tears; my neighbor, who had invited us, tore me away from the line when I attempted to participate in communion, telling me I was not yet qualified. Looking for a place of comfort, I instead found isolation. As we exited the building, I asked my mom why we could not just find a community in which to belong. We stopped carving out this exploratory room in our Sundays.
Despite my negative experiences, I have since realized this desire. My parents are avid explorers and my home is located at the edge the human/nature divide. I have always existed outside of society, instead finding companionship in the environment. My childhood fostered within me a great love and respect for nature. This is my place of spiritual practice. My mom and I no longer attend sermons, but have together created a place of religious practice in our backyard. For me, when alone in the natural world, I feel it pulsating with life, which neither science nor religion can wholly capture. Although I consider myself to be rather agnostic, this is the closest I have come to a greater spiritual being.
Isabelle, this is a really interesting post. It is one of the timeless battles, this rocky divide between the two areas. I think that if more people thought like you did, without so much separation between the two, it would be a better and more balanced world — people could be open and accepting to how climate change is happened and adapt their version of spirituality to our ever-changing base of knowledge.
This is one of my largest problems with religion, which is solved in incorporating science into your spirituality: religions are often entrenched in ideas thought up of hundreds or even thousands of years ago, and they don’t adapt sufficiently to new knowledge that is acquired. Connecting science and religion creates living traditions and changing religions.
I often cringe hard when people ship their religion, because spirituality is something that doesn’t really fit into a neat box; it is different for each person. But I grew up in a Unitarian Universalist church — you don’t have to believe in any creed, so you get atheists, Buddhists, Christians, and more in a shared spiritual space. Most of my role models there growing up wee hardcore science nerds and found a place for their own form of spirituality.