OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF IAEWP

A Selection of Poems: Let's Illuminate the 21st CenturyYoung Seek Choue. Ph.D.

A Selection of Poems: Let's Illuminate the 21st Century is the best selectionof eleven great peace poems. viz. Bethlehem's Bell. Peace is More PreciousthanTriumph.The Great Declaration of Ever-lasting World Peace; Hurray. the GloriousRestorationof the Fatherland. Become One. lead a Ufe looking Ahead. let's Builda BrighterSociety. Mountains and RiversYearned For.let's launch into Movementsfor People Concord. My Fatherland Be Glorious. and Creation ot a Cultural World(Magnolia : Flower of a Pioneer).This book is an excellent creation of peace-poet Pro!. Young Seek Choue.Ph.D.. Founder-Chancellor. Kyung Hee University System. Seoul. Republic ofKorea. Originally it has been written in Korean Language, It was translatedinto English by Prof. Man Soo Han. Now this book was translated into HindiLanguage by. Dr. Smt. Suman Shukla, Reader, Nagpur University College ofEducation, Nagpur, India. However, the Hindi version of the book has englishtext also. This book has been published by the IAEWP,

Dr. Choue's life and his poetry are indissolubly connected. More than anyother great poet. Dr. Choue lives his poetry; if it is full of generous, enthusiams,and exquisite dreams, so is he. His "sweetest songs are those that tell ofsaddest thought". just because his spirit was ever haunted by the tragediesand the tyrannies, the hideousness and hate. which disfigured the beautifulworld of his dreams. His poetry is long cry for freedom, equality, unification,humanity. prosperity and peace, (Pax UN), a torrent of pleading song. Breve.sincere. tender. acutely sensitive to all that is lovely in sight or in mind, a blithespirit surmounting in ecstatic song the clauds of prejudice and evil-himself andhis verse are these and are at one. Unlike Kahlil Gibran. Dr, Choue is not astranger in this world, however. like him, he is a poet who composes whatlife proses,and who proses what life composes. Dr, Choue, in a word. remainsunsurpassed and unsurpassable as a peace poet of the foremost rank.

Newsletters. Journals and Other BooksOn a world-wide basis, the Association publishes several newsletters, bulletins,newspapers, journals and other books on Peace Education in a number oflanguages, including French, Spanish, Hindi. Japanese. Korean. and Arabic, inaddition to English. However. the four publications on a global scale are theCirculation News/eHer and Peace Education News/eHer which bring news aboutIAEWPongoing activities; the Peace Progress Journal which prints articles onideas. and 'activities that promote international understanding and worldpeace; and the. Peace Education Joumal which publishes articles related topeace education studies.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS FOR WORLD. PEACEAN UN PEACE MESSENGER

SCIENCE, RELIGIONAND PEACE

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Surya Nath PrasadSuman Shukla

What is the Christian Position on War?John P Fddy

A Cosmology of HopeIrving F. Laucks

Lasting PeaceR. R. Diwakar

Universal Impact ofIndian Religio~Swami Sanatan Shri Brahmachan

The Next Future in Planetary Evolution:Your Role in a Changing World

Howard John Zitko

Against the Abuse of ScienceScientists' Voice and Appeal

World Religious Conference at MoscowV. Lysenkov & 1.Troyanovsky

Peace Education: A Deliberative MeetSuman Shukla

ameIndex

Subject Index

viii

52

71

84 FOREWORD

92

101

121

125Prof. Johan Ga/tung

132 The reader has in his/her hands a very touchingtestimony to the tremendous breadth in the humansearch for peace in general and peace education inparticular. Not by chance was it compiled by theindefatigable Dr.Surya Nath Prasad, himself a testimonyto the Indian tradition of vasudhaiva kufumbakam (theWorld is my family). There is a Hindu all-comprisingtone to the book, making for co-existence of apparentincompatibles.

138

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Science, Religion and Peace x

There is also another interesting element : dareI say it, a Cold War optimism! Appeals "from theMoscow River Banks" reporting the World Conferenceof "Religious Workers for lasting Peace, Disarmamentand Just Relations Among Nations" and from a Pugwashconference in Munchen against the neutron bombare as valid today as when they were written. But ourpresent world is more complicated : a transition fromthe threat of a nuclear war that might annihilate muchof humankind to the reality of many wars, smaller, notnuclear, but cruel, devastating, and above all againstcivilians and their life and society.

In this book there is space both for an l. R.Shukla arguing that "for creative thinking, for bringingpeace and harmony within our souls, we needReligion" and an August Bebel arguing that "religion isthe transcendental reflection of prevailing socialconditions", concluding that "the future belongs tosocialism". Dr. Diwakar summarizes eloquently:"Lasting peace is the hunger of humanity--and wouldensure the full flowering of all the potentialitieshumanity is capable of evolving."

Personally I would stress all of the factorsmentioned. Peace is so multi-faceted. We need allthe insights we can get. And we need the creativity tocombine the incompatible!

PREFACE

This book: SCIENCE, RELIGION AND PEACE is the resultof 1978, Vol. I, No.2 issue of Peace Education: AnInternational Journal, which was published on the theme: Peacethrough Science, Philosophy, Culture and Religion. TIllsvolumeis one of the Series in Seven Series of Peace Education.

We, in our Editorial -Peace through Science andReligion, have expressed our observation that materialismhas developed Science for prosperity while spiritualism hascreated Religion for peace. Because, man is made up ofbody and spirit both, hence science and religion are alsoneeded for man's physical and spiritual development, and forhis success and fulfilment.

Prof. L.R Shukla, in his paper: Science, Philosophyand Religion, saysthat Sciencemakes a man powerful,Philosophymakes him wise and Religion makes him good. Hence,according to him, neither science nor philosophy gives peaceto the soul of man. For it, he says, we require religion.

Prof. Charles Mercieca, in his paper: Space Philosophyand the Academic Revolution of the 21st Century, observes

Kyoto, Japan16 October 1999 JOHAN GALTUNG

dr hc mult, Professor of Peace Studies, Director,TRANSCEND: A Peace and Development Network

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Science, Religion and Peace

development in both (religion and science) may bring themcloser together, each learning from the other, so that thesetwo majestic forms of the spirit of man may unite in theworship and service of the God of truth".

Thus Science. and religion are for man. Man is made ofbo?y and spirit. Science and religion both help man. Sciencetr~s man to deal with physical life successfully. Religion enableshim to realize his spiritual self So science is for body, religion isfor soul. Science is for success, religion is for fulfilment. Andsc~enc~ is for prosperity and religion is for peace. The BhagawadGila nghtly proclaims that there is peace and prosperity on theearth for those who will learn and follow the laws of inner andouter life.

4

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SCIENCE, PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION

Prof. L. R. Shukla*

Science, Philosophy and Religion, all are serious pursuits ofhuman beings. A certain evolution of rational powers isneeded for everyone of them. But there is muchmisunderstanding about the purpose of each one of them aswell as about their limits .. There is also mutual antagonismbetween the three puruists. Science destroys religious faith, sotoo Philosophy makes a person sceptic about the mystic truthspreached by Religion. Whereas Science condemns religionunequivocally, calling it a massof'superstition, Philosophy holdsits judgement in suspense. But even Philosophy very often destorysrather than build religious faith.

Just as there is opposition between Science and Religion,so there is also opposition betwe~n Science and Philosophy.Science' ridicules Philosophy, calling it a pursuit of the cynics. Aphilosopher surely does not cheat himself or others as a priestdoes, says the scientist, but surely he is engaged in a mad pursuit.

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SCience, Religion and Peace 6 7 Science, Philosophy and Religion

Even when the scientist calls the religious man an honest person,he takes h.m to be neurotic. The ecstatic moods of a s'l;nt arenothing, but a kind of hysteria. The scientist cannot understandthem in any other light. Psychologists, who regard their study asa branch of science, usually condemn all religious practices andcall them puruists of the neurotics.

The philosopher is also condemned by the scientist, forthe philosopher simply raises doubts. He does not build so muchas he destroys. Kant's greatest achievement consists in showingthe limits of human understanding. But it is not something positive.When he tries to build, he becomes very often, unconvincing toa critical thinker. Many persons, therefore, become despaired of

. Metaphysics. The scientist takes his hint from such persons andhe, therefore, calls Philosophy a useless pursuit. The scientificattitude is always pragmatic.

Science and Philosophy both have one thing in common.Both rely on reason for investigating what they regard as truth.But whereas the scientist is extraverted in his outlook the,philosopher is introvert. The scientist always follows the criticalmethod. The scientist collects facts, before reflecting upon them,the philosopher reflects on the conclusion arrived at by otherbranches of study. The study of the objective world is the mainoccupation of the scientist, the study of the self is the mainoccupation of the sublimest of the philosophers. Both, however,make a rational approach to reality.

Science increases the power of man, philosophy gives thepower of systematic thinking. The gains of Science are mostlyexternal, those of Philosophy are mostly internal. But neitherScience nor Philosophy gives peace to the soul of man. BothScience and Philosophy bloat the ego sense of the individual, the

scientist becomes aware of the infinite power of his knowledgeand the philosopher of his great critical insight. Thus, both ofthem loss-peace of mind.

They cannot do any real service to humanity also. Onlya person, who has a peaceful soul, can do real good to human .beings. One-cannot make the mind of any other person peacefulunless one's own mind is peaceful. Whatever is done in a restlessstate of mind, disturbs others and increases their misery. Hence,neither Science nor Philosophy brings happiness to human beings.For it we~quire Religion.

How, whereas Science and Philosophy are things of theintellect, Religion is a thing of the heart. The former affect theunderstanding, the latter changes the heart. Science makes a manpowerful, philosophy makes him wise, and Religion makes himgood. Philosophy requires much discussion, Religion requiresmeditation. Philosophy works in the conscious plane, Religionworks in the unconscious. Religion rests on suggestion and faith.In Religion too, much discussion hinders speedy progress. Onemust practise in silence what he is told.

A man may be a great philosopher, yet in action he maybe nil. He might be feeling the pinch of self-condemnation, yethe cannot check himself from doing the wrong act. Sometimesa man labours from certain fixations. He knows that the fixationsare foolish, but he does not remove them. They cannot beremoved till a change of the inner mind is brought about. Thischange can be brought about not by discussion or consciouseffort of the will, but by practising religious suggestion. A man,who always thinks of a Sublime Being unconsciously makes hisactions sublime. When we want to change our inner nature, wehave to practise auto-suggestion.

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Science, Religion and Peace 8 9Science, Philosophy and Religion

Scientists call the religious man a neurotic because to himthe object of religious intuition is a mere hallucination of the mind.

He does not believe in its reality, as he believes in the reality ofonly what is.sensible. Here Philosophy may be helpful to Religion,for Philosophy teaches us that things are not what they seem.The real and its appearance are not the same. What the sensesapprehend is the appeararice and not reality. This .negat~veconclusion of Philosophy points to the existence of a reality, whichmay be known through extra-sensory method. Religious methodis the one needed for the purpose.

But the truth of Religion cannot be realised except throughactual practise. When a man daily sinks into his ow~ beingthrough withdrawal from the world, or when he pract1s~s theauto-suggestion that in-the centre of his consciousness the umve~soul exists, he actually feels the healing effect of this thought. Thishealing effect is not brought about simply by the imaginat~on ~fsomething unreal, but it is the realization of what ac~ly eX1s~~the centre of one's consciousness. Auto-suggestiOn when It ISunderstood, as a kind of externally imposed idea, is likely to doharm, it does lasting good only when it is understood as therealization of something that actually exists in one's own self.

We might distinguish two kinds of auto-suggestions ~epsychological and the religious. The psychological auto-suggestlonsometimes effects a temporary good. But it may be followed bya reaction for it is a kind of repression of the unconscious urges.The religi~us auto-suggestion on the other hand sprin~ from wi~The Central thought in this case is that the real being of man ISgood, healthy and happy. All disease is external. ~ence, .by theauto-suggestion of health one merely throws out the disease insteadof.repressing it. To the scientific mind:" it is very difficult ~ounderstand the nature of such an auto-suggestion. It is for thisreason that psychoanalysts have usually condemned auto-

That an idea may soak in the mind one must hold to it fastand must not be sceptic about its truth. This is essentially areligious attitude. The philosopher is very often engaged in doingand undoing many things. He usually upsets his own conclusionsby thinking in the opposite way. He seldom has a stable mind.But the mind of the religious man is stable. He is at peace withhimself

The researches of modem psychology show that the rootsof discontent in the mind of man lie in the unconscious region ofhis mind. So long as a change is not brought about in theunconscious mind, a man cannot be happy. For bringing aboutthis change, Philosophy is not so much helpful as Religion. Truthmay be intellectually apprehended through Philosophy but unlessit saturates the whole of one's being it does not bring peace.Religion is just _!hemethod of making one's being saturated withtruth. The conscious apprehension of truth and its sinking into theunconscious are two different things. Truth sinks into theunconscious mind not through the process of critical investigation,but through feeling and auto-suggestion.

Critical thinkers would condemn mere mechanicalrepetition or meditating again and again on some idea. Butthis is the only way of changing the unconscious mind. Thosewho are very resourceful in their thinking usually areundeveloped in their inner life. It is said a man may be intellectuallya giant, but emotionally he may be a child. The emotional elevationis gained not by the development of intelligence, but by properdirection of one's feelings. Religion effects this. Hence, it purifiesthe heart of man.

Science, Religion and Peace Science, Philosophy and Religion10 11

suggestion as a method of mental healing. There would be noneed of such condemnation, if it were understood as a processof self-rea1isation.

The world is moving towards unity. Hence, thoughhistorically Science, Philosophy and Religion have been atwar with each other, they are ,soming gradually closer toeach other. This is evident from the admissions of greatscientists and philosophers on the one hand and religiousmen on the other. Human mind is one and all the variousstudies are mere creations of this mind. The mind firstexpresses itself in diverse forms and then tries to bring aboutunity among these forms. This is the meaning of what isknown as-.fdialectic process of the absolute thought". Thesis,antithesis and synthesis among ideas are ways of self-realization. Hence, though Science may differ fromPhilosophy and Religion and claim to live in a world of itsown creation, it cannot do so. The human soul will be contentwith nothing less than complete truth. This truth comprehendsall kinds of knowledge through whatever source they mighthave been reached.

thinking, for bringing peace and harmony within our souls weneed Religion.

Everyman exists for the rea1isationof his own perfection.Science helps in the perfection of one aspect of his being, but theother aspects suffer by neglect. Philosophy and Religion areneeded to perfect these other aspects. Development of criticalinsight or practical wisdom does not bring peace to the soul ofman, though in itself it is quite a desirableachievement. We needReligion to gain this end. Critical intelligenceis disturbing by itsvery nature, much of its work is negative. Similarly, practicalwisdom brings material gain, but it does help the soul to relieveitself of its burden of sorrow and inner suffering. For creative

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