Did you ever wonder about the difference between Science, Philosophy, Religion, and Spirituality?

Our topic today is about how they differ.

Science is very much about facts - proven facts. It follows processes, measures results, requires long and deep research, and a consensus of many brains understanding that process to reach a temporary conclusion - until it evolves into another conclusion or confirms what has been said in the past.

Science is very much about the how things work and how we can prove it.

In today's day and age, we seem to have two approaches to scientific development and thinking : Materialistic Science and Energy Science.

What I call "Materialistic Science" explains how matter functions.

This relates to our physical bodies, Nature and the world in the material sense.

As an example, let's look at the physical health of the body. The science of contemporary western medicine, also know as allopathic medicine, treats trauma and disease with materialistic approaches, as opposed to consciousness approaches to physical issues, such as trauma and disease.

Dr. Bruce Lipton says Materialistic Science and allopathic medicine is great with trauma, and we absolutely need it. However, it fails to explain "mysteries" in healthcare such as auto-immune disease. Pills do not seem to solve this kind of problem.

In my humble opinion, there's more to matter than just matter.

Matter does not always explain itself, and to use Dr. Deepak Chopra's expression,

a real solution always resides above the level of the problem. 

This means physical ailments should not always be addressed exclusively with physical remedies. In my opinion about healthcare, pills and surgery are not the only solution.

Sometimes surgeries are necessary, but not always. And if we think outside the box and look at problems from a perspective of expanded awareness  with a big-picture perspective, Materialist Science would benefit immensely if it walked hand-in-hand with Consciousness approaches.

Note that I'm not recommending the substitution of Materialistic Science - what I'm suggesting is an amicable dialogue between energetic approaches and materialistic approaches - and between different fields of science in general, for that matter.

Which leads us to the idea of Energetic Science. I believe it is possible to develop energetic science in the field of human nature, which is becoming more and more acknowledged and respected in areas such as Quantum Physics, Neuroscience and Epigenetics, and concepts such as morphic fields and energetic fields. Energetic Science should not be disrespected with terms like "woo-woo".

My approach does not understand matter as independent from energy, and in more advanced understandings, as independent from consciousness.

Energy Science talks about some of the root causes of the why things happen in certain way, and though it contemplates a more subtle approach, it does focus on processes and results - that's why it can be called a Science. 

Materialistic Science can very well expand into and include energetic research to see how things work, measure results and to state temporary conclusions when it comes to creating specific models and understanding subtle structures and patterns. 

So Science, Materialistic or Energetic, is very much about “how” things happen in the world. And the how is important - but it's not enough.

This leads us to Philosophy, Religion, and Spirituality, which are more about the why things happen, including the existential realm and the invisible forces of the Soul.

Yes, Science does contemplate invisible existences and what is not really grasped by the physical senses, but when we observe Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality, the focus is the subjective reason of “why” things happen, the purpose of existence -the question of why we're here in the first place.

This is what we can call transcendence.

Let's talk about Philosophy first. Philosophy uses the brain, the rational mind, to explain why we're here, and to give purpose and meaning to life. It does contemplate emotions and include other subtle aspects of the human psyche, but rational thinking is the point of arrival.

Understanding the why with the conscious mind is what Philosophy seeks, and it's a beautiful, deep, necessary journey if you're committed to know yourself and to your personal growth. If you're interested in understanding more about this topic, check out our Course on Human Nature, which gives you a deep and panoramic view about several philosophical approaches in different cultures.

When it comes to Spirituality and Religion, on the other hand, we need to transcend the rational mind.

The rational mind develops itself to a point in which the unfathomable needs to be in the picture. That's when Spirituality and Religion play a role.

Both are about surrender. Surrendering to a reality beyond reason and rational understanding, but a very real reality indeed.

One of the biggest differences between Religion and Spirituality is that Religion is a structured set of beliefs that allows Spirituality to flourish, but different people in different groups and cultures need a specific set of beliefs and a specific structure with practices, meaning and sacred scriptures to make sense of Life. This is beautiful and should be respected.

Spirituality, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily need a set of belief systems.

It's about knowing. It's about connecting to yourself and a higher purpose.

Spirituality can have some practices, but it doesn't necessarily need an institution. In Spirituality, the need for a structure resides in each person's free will.

Maybe you need a group of people, maybe you don't. Maybe it's a meditation group, maybe you need scriptures, or wisdom from specific sources. In Spirituality, we always need some sort of guidance, from books, masters, or groups, but the difference resides in the belief aspect.

We need to believe to engage in Spirituality and Religion.

In Science, we don't necessarily need to believe with our subjective world, because we believe facts that have been proven, and we believe a specific set of explanations when it comes to Philosophy. But Science and Philosophy don't require the spiritual transcendence that Spirituality and Religion do.

Spirituality and Religion require surrender.

And surrender goes beyond rational thinking.

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Thanks for your presence here, and I'll see you soon!

Love always,

Paola.