Science

Out of respect for the floundering institution of public education, regardless of how misguided it is, I won’t attack science too harshly but will try instead to bring to it some very basic moral principles. Science itself is not necessarily anathema to morality. It has simply been a tool in the hands of immoral ignoramuses who have used it to destroy civilization in the name of the demigod they call “progress.” But this “progress” is only progress in the destruction of civilization.

I call our culture uncivilized because it takes pride in being amoral. Morality is the very first step towards civilization. Loss of morality is the very last step in the destruction of civilization.

The first principle of morality is non-violence. Not only has our culture abandoned non-violence as a cultural value, almost everything about it is built on violence. Even in our recreation we take sport in trying to make another team lose. Then to “relax” we turn on the t.v. ... to watch people kill each other and countless other acts of violence. Science certainly hasn’t taught people the science of relaxation.

Since morality is the basis of self-control. And self-control is the basis of improving the quality of life. What has science done to assist people in developing morality? The first thing an educational program in science should do is to teach techniques that will enable the student to become non-violent, to understand and apply truthfulness, and non-stealing. It should teach how to become self-reliant, or in other words, to find one’s pleasure, entertainment, and fulfillment directly from one’s own reservoir of consciousness within. This will enable one to lead an external life of harmony, uncluttered with unnecessary things. Thoreau expressed it this way, “A man is wealthy in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.”

If science cannot offer at least this much it probably has nothing of much value to offer and will probably cost the loss of most of what is important. But it should at the very least not violate any of these five most basic principles of morality. The secondary thing a course in science should teach is how to do science without violating these most basic and essential principles of morality.

When I took science we had to “sacrifice” (kill) various animals and dissect their remains. This is such a blatant violation of morality, of non-violence, it is totally inexcusable. Any “science” with that approach is no science at all and should be banned from the face of the earth. Biology is the study of life. The very first requirement to understand life is to respect life. Killing animals for dissection demonstrates total lack of respect for life. Such disrespect only breeds more disrespect. This disrespect for life has permeates science so completely almost every “benefit” of science includes pollution and destruction of the environment.

The very term “environment” is erroneous and breeds disrespect. The environment is alive. If you were thought of as merely the enviornment do you think you would be treated with proper respect? There is no seperation between the “environment” and us. Even physically speaking, we are the enviornment and the environment is us. Calling it such creates a false dichotomy that engenders disrespect.

The environment is our Mother. We come forth from Her and She gives us life. She deserves the respect and reverence of a mother. She is not some thing to be conquered by science.

One thing is for certain. All results from “science” approached with this kill and dissect attitude will be harmful to anything with life. The motive behind science will determine its result. When the motive lacks respect for life the result will not be good for life. When the motive is greed the results will be disastrous.

We must be very careful in any program of science that it is totally free of disrespect for life and any wrong motive. So naturally the first and most important part of any program in science is to teach not only how to understand one’s own attitudes and motives, but also how to purify them and free them from what is unhealthy and immoral.

To fail to approach science with this foundation is a very grave error. The seriousness of this error cannot be overemphasized. Science gives great power. Used wrongly it can be very destructive.

How destructively it has been used some are beginning to realize. The “health care” system is one example. Its purpose is not health care but greed. Doctors and drug companies don’t make money from well people. But they do make billions. They are astute businessmen who invest millions in making people unhealthy. This is not a critique of the disease maintenance system so I cannot get into this case. But even many doctors are waking up in spite of years of medical school brainwashing and speaking out against it. It is a clear case of trying to do “science” without first laying the foundation of right attitude and motive.

What one is within is what will manifest in the outer life. If one harbors violence within, the result of the outer life will be colored by that violence. The first step in any program of science must be to teach an understanding of non-violence, and scientific techniques for developing non-violence.

Most people are walking battlefields. They want something they don’t have, and this creates inner conflict. They have something they don’t want, and this creates inner conflict. They say things that are not kind in their self-talk. Their attitude toward their self, others or circumstances is not harmonious. Their feelings battle with their toiyhoughts. Their left brain battles with their right brain. Their devotion to Truth battles with their addiction to illusions.

Their thoughts are usually racing about like a car without a driver. If the controls to their car of thought had not been stolen by an enemy soldier, they could drive the car of thought where ever they wanted it to go, or they could stop the car and turn off the ignition at will, until they needed to take it somewhere else. The inability to stop the train of thought, or car of thought, is symptomatic of turbulence within. If peace reigned within one could stop the stormy waves of thought at will. Training in the techniques of gaining control of the inner life and bringing peace to the inner world is the first step in building a foundation for safe and sane science.

The rest of the foundation required for safe and sane science includes training in the true nature and art of truthfulness. The educational establishment operates on the assumption that what matters is what works. Truth is irrelevant. They call it pragmatism. What this means is that it does not matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it well.

If the people adopt pragmatism they of course then have no rudder, or more precisely, they have no goal, no ideal. It is therefore easy for governments, advertisers, big business and multinationals to lead them like sheep to the slaughter. A people dyed in pragmatism has no roots. Cut off from their roots they are easily harvested and used for the purposes of governments and those in control.

Education teaches all about how. It carefully avoids anything about why. “Why” is not important in the culture public education has created. Education answers, “How can I do this better?” It doesn’t even ask, “Why should I do this in the first place?” or “What really should I be doing?” People who understand about ‘what’ and ‘why’ are not likely to do what they are told. They will not work for a company unless they believe in what the company is doing, unless they agree with its ideals and goals.

Truthfulness becomes empty, relative, or irrelevant without ideals to be truthful to; truthfulness requires understanding of one’s purpose. Public education, on the contrary, cultivates the view that we cannot know truth. We cannot know the purpose of life. It is this belief that makes people spineless and vulnerable to control by others. They are then easily victimized by advertisers and controlled by governments . That is why public education earnestly cultivates this belief. And that is why science today has become the servant of greed and is destroying both civilization and the biosphere it needs. Science must not be taught divorced from truthfulness. To do so is immoral. When it is, the result is disaster.

The next foundation stone that must be laid before true science can be born is non-stealing. The cause of stealing is the desire for what you don’t need or what is not rightfully yours.