Location
2A - Meaning
Start Date
29-6-2017 9:30 AM
End Date
29-6-2017 11:00 AM
Description
This paper discusses the conflict between science and religion in the context of pilgrimage. Since a scientific world-view rules out many ideas which are traditionally associated with pilgrimage, such as miracles and the effectiveness of prayer, it seems that pilgrimage might be a practice inconsistent with the modern scientific age. Attempts have been made to reconcile this conflict by arguing that science and religion do not conflict, but are non-overlapping spheres of inquiry. Thus, it is possible to make sense of pilgrimage in a scientific age, if one strips their pilgrimage of all aspects to which science might object. However, this results in an end product that is all but unrecognizable as religious in the first place. It makes it possible for almost any activity to be interpreted as a pilgrimage activity, including many activities usually associated with tourism, consumption, materialism, consumerism, and entertainment. Using ideas developed by the philosopher William James, one can argue that many of these apparently secular activities can indeed be seen as religious experiences.
Included in
The Possibility of Pilgrimage in a Scientific World
2A - Meaning
This paper discusses the conflict between science and religion in the context of pilgrimage. Since a scientific world-view rules out many ideas which are traditionally associated with pilgrimage, such as miracles and the effectiveness of prayer, it seems that pilgrimage might be a practice inconsistent with the modern scientific age. Attempts have been made to reconcile this conflict by arguing that science and religion do not conflict, but are non-overlapping spheres of inquiry. Thus, it is possible to make sense of pilgrimage in a scientific age, if one strips their pilgrimage of all aspects to which science might object. However, this results in an end product that is all but unrecognizable as religious in the first place. It makes it possible for almost any activity to be interpreted as a pilgrimage activity, including many activities usually associated with tourism, consumption, materialism, consumerism, and entertainment. Using ideas developed by the philosopher William James, one can argue that many of these apparently secular activities can indeed be seen as religious experiences.