“Science and technology to contribute to the building of a spiritually wealthy Society”

[nerdgirl 0]

Is there something unique about the US (or western Europe) when it intersects culturally with Christianity (or Abrahamic religions) that generates the “science versus religion” divide/argument/whatever?

I’ve speculated on that idea before w/r/t policy controversies and popular culture/political disagreements, as well as some of the past and ongoing discussions here.

Recently ran across a counter-example of the opposite – showing a complete lack of the forced dichotomy – from Japan. And not some pointy-headed academic waxing philosophical but the policy of the Japanese government, which expends over 3.57 Trillion Yen annually (~$35B USD), second or third largest Science & Technology funder in the world.

Japanese Ministry of Education Annual Report on the Promotion of Science and Technology (released October 2006):

“Science and technology to contribute to the building of a spiritually wealthy Society

“During the long life of the people due to the increase in the average lifespan, it has become possible for each individual to enjoy wealthy life actively participating not only in work, but also in hobbies, learning and local activities. There is a need for science and technology to contribute to not only material wealth, but also to achieving spiritual wealth. For example, there are media arts, technologies for the preservation, restoration and utilization of the cultural heritage, and the distribution of information on cultural assets through digital archives. Furthermore, basic research conducted based on free imagination satisfies intellectual curiosity and leads to new knowledge for humanity.”

Excerpt is from page 8, if anyone wants to check the original. How novel! What have they figured out?

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[vortexring 0]

It does seem strange; why couldn't they discover a way to simplify general life through the application of technology instead of complicating it!?

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[kelpdiver 2]

yes - it does seem like technology in Japan effectively consumes leisure time, rather than create more leisure time for philosophical pursuits. Yet as the last couple generations have rejected the work to death model while companies have rejected the keep employees for life model, could change quickly. I wonder if that will affect the inventor model - new gen Japanese electronics come quickly and will try any kind of innovation. The successful ones trickle to America a year or two latter.

(I don't understand their movies either! Too alien a frame of reference I believe)

[vortexring 0]

The applied innovation is geared primarily for consumption. Technology advances so quickly these days to make money. TV's, MP3 players, cars, cellphones.....could be an endless list here.

I reckon the boffins and the bigwigs are realising they're going to be coffin dodgers soon, hence the attention.

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[SpeedRacer 1]

Quote

Is there something unique about the US (or western Europe) when it intersects culturally with Christianity (or Abrahamic religions) that generates the “science versus religion” divide/argument/whatever?

I don't think so. In Europe the pursuit of religion as well as science often went hand in hand. In other words, those who pursued the one often pursued the other. For example scientific knowledge was preserved & copied by monks during the Middle Ages.
In the Renaissance we see the rise & development of Christian Humanism, which advocated not just transcendance of this material world, but also working to improve the human condition and advance human knowledge.

I would say that the anti-science/anti-intellectualism movement is popular among often-undereducated fundamentalists, and does not represent western religious culture as a whole.

Speed Racer
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[nerdgirl 0]

Quote

I don't think so. In Europe the pursuit of religion as well as science often went hand in hand. In other words, those who pursued the one often pursued the other. For example scientific knowledge was preserved & copied by monks during the Middle Ages.
In the Renaissance we see the rise & development of Christian Humanism, which advocated not just transcendance of this material world, but also working to improve the human condition and advance human knowledge.

I would say that the anti-science/anti-intellectualism movement is popular among often-undereducated fundamentalists, and does not represent western religious culture as a whole.

Good points. Anti-intellectualism may be the more important factor.

I'm reminded that between ~800-1200 CE, the Islamic world was the leader in science and mathematics.

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying