How can we reconcile contradictions between knowledge from science and knowledge from scripture?

Anwser Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, how do we reconcile differences between, or contradictions between knowledge got from science and knowledge got from scripture? First of all, even in science, it is understood that, that actually, what we call as scientific facts, they are actually seen within the context of a theory. So, what that means is, that when we say something as scientific knowledge, it is knowledge within a particular framework, in a particular way of looking at things. And, in the 11th canto, when Uddhava Gita is being discussed, where Sankhya section is discussed.
So, in Sankhya, normally we analyze the material world into 24 elements. But there are other places where the material world is analyzed into 12 elements, sometimes it is analyzed into 16 elements, sometimes it is analyzed into 20 elements. And there, in Chakravarthipada, in one of his purports, in Uddhava Gita says that, actually, Krishna is pleased by the creativity of the sages in analyzing this material world in different ways.
Analyzing sometimes 24 elements, sometimes 16 elements. It is pleased with their creativity. So, the point is, this material world can be analyzed in different ways.
So, science analyzes the material world from one perspective, and a scripture analyzes the material world from a significantly different perspective. So, because of this, the perspectives being different, the way we see things will naturally be different. So, I gave an example of Ayurveda and allopathy itself earlier.
Ayurveda has the whole idea of Digestifier, of Kaphavarthapitta. Allopathy does not have that concept. So, how does it work? It works because there are two different ways of looking at things.
Both work in their own ways. There are two different ways of looking at things. So, broadly, I have this will take a long time, but broadly, the contradiction between science and scripture can be reconciled in three ways.
One is that science may be incorrect. The second is science may be incomplete. And the third is that the two come from different perspectives.
The two are looking from different perspectives. So, now, which particular possibility applies? That we’ll have to see specifically. So, for example, now, according to science, is sun the only source of… There are so many stars.
Are the stars planets? Are the stars also having their own source of light? So, now, that is a matter of terminology. It’s a matter of semantics. And Siddhartha Prabhu explains in his Cosmography also that actually modern science considers that which gives warm source of light that has luminance.
But there can be different sources of light also. And Vishnu Sahasranam says that the Lord is the source of nine different sources of light. So, we have to look at the exact term, exact concept, and then we’ll find that actually what Siva says contradictory, it is in many cases reconcilable.
So, specifically, which contradiction it is, that we may have to check on time, place, circumstance. The important thing is that if we understand the jurisdiction, many of these contradictions can be reconciled. So, on my website, I have a full lecture on this topic.
Are science and spirituality, are science and scripture at war with each other? So, there I analyze specific concepts and specific examples we can analyze. But the broad principle is, if we have a specific field, this is contradictory, we can consult those devotees who are learned in that field and take up the specific contradiction and see how it can be addressed. Yes, Mataji?