Unended Quest part 4

Methods of Science 1

As previously stated, we cannot draw the surface of the third dimensional sphere 'the earth' onto a second dimensional plane 'map'. Similarly, no matter how much words we use to tell about God, truth, love, enlightenment and happiness, we cannot express them perfectly, because they belong to the higher dimensions of God's realm and the words we use belong to the third dimension on the earth.

Some of you may know a suggestive parable 'the parable of the blind men and the elephant', which tells you how limited our perception is.

Once upon a time in Indostan, a king ordered six blind men to observe an elephant and to report on it. Each blind man touched the different part of the elephant. One of them touched the ear of the elephant, one touched the nose, one touched the leg, one touched the tail, one touched the tusk, and one touched the side of the elephant. Then each one reported differently. 'Elephant is like a fan', 'Elephant is like a snake', 'Elephant is like a tree', 'Elephant is like a rope', 'Elephant is like a spear', 'Elephant is like a wall'.
This parable tells us that our senses and perception are limited, and I think so. But what I meant by my metaphor of the earth and maps is some different, my view point is the multi-dimensional world. If the king made blind men touch surface of the elephant completely and made them report on it, he could synthesize and imagine a solid figure of the elephant. But it is impossible to draw the surface of the earth onto a plane map with accurate outline, area, direction and distance, even if we try to. Because both blind men and the elephant belong to the same third dimension but the earth and maps belong to different dimensions. One belongs to the third, the other to the second.

That is to say that, in case of the parable of the blind men and the elephant, the king is able to grasp the figure of the elephant with his three-dimensional perception based on the reports given by blind men, but with our third dimensional perception it is fundamentally impossible to grasp and express truth(God, love, enlightenment, happiness) which belongs to the higher dimensions as I cite you my metaphor.
If the king were preoccupied with an idea that an elephant is a plane beast like a flatfish in the sea, what happened with him? He could easily understand the report from the one who touched the ear; 'Elephant is like a fan'. What on earth could he synthesize the other reports and make up an image of flat beast? To say the least, those who have a preconception an elephant is a beast like a flatfish would not be able to synthesize the reports and imagine an solid elephant. The same things occur when we try to grasp truth.
Napoleon ordered surveyors to survey the earth and enacted the metric system on the premise(assumption) that the earth is a sphere. It was after the Age of Great voyages when we could obtain the correct figure of the earth. Scientists in the 18th century knew the earth's size within an error of 4 or 5 per cent. And it was after we became to be able to observe the orbit of artificial satellites, when we knew the shape of the earth is not the absolute round but like a pear. Needless to say that it was a hard and difficult work, he could survey and enact because both the earth and the surveyors belong to the same third dimensional world. It is difficult to observe and recognize things of even the same dimension, it is more difficult to understand things of the higher dimensions with today's levels of scientific methods and the methods of considerations.

Methods of Science 2

They discuss the process of consideration itself. Even in fields of natural science, various methods of observation, hypothesis and experimentation have been the points at issue. Much more difficult issues have lain in the fields of philosophy and religion.

The issues that how many observation points we need.


For example, one of the difficult issues is that if the elephant had been an unknown beast, when the king ordered blind men, how many blind men did he need to make them touch the elephant and image a correct figure of the elephant? No matter how many blind men the king made touch the elephant, it must have been very difficult to secure positive evidence that they touched the whole surface of the elephant. For the same reason, meteorological observation points increase year by year, the items of various social and economical statistics increase every time they take statistics
How many books and the scriptures do we need to read in order to realize truth? Everyone will agree that it is impossible to read all classics and well-known books. No matter how many books we read, they will not make us sure that we realize truth. One of the reasons is that an attempt to realize truth only by reading books is an attempt to realize things which belong to the higher dimensions while we are on the third dimension. We cannot realize truth by only obtaining knowledge but through examinations of our conscience and practice based on wisdom and love.

The issue that how we can conjecture the unobserved area

Another issue is that how the king can conjecture the area which blind men have not touched. When the existence of three legs has reported by blind men, how should he conjecture the rest of legs? Nowadays, the more parameters a statistics has, the more acceptable solution we can obtain, but it is often useless for deciding on a policy. On the other hand, modern society is so complicated that we cannot analyze social phenomena with a simple equation.

Even if we read the Bible and the Buddhist scriptures and we are sure that we understand principles, actually we little understand how we live our daily lives. There are many problems in our daily lives such as; We understand how precious love is, but what shall I do today? How do we balance job with family? The scriptures do not tell us all of our daily lives. Although some of you may find the commandments that we should keep, the pattern for modern life is very different from that of the ancient time when those scriptures were written. For example, we can find the abstinence from drinking in the scriptures , but no one will not find the abstinence from smoking. It is just because there was no cigar/cigarette in ancient societies when the scripture were written. Concrete small matters in our daily lives may depend on our decision.

The issue that how we can confirm whether the conjecture is correct or not


The other issue is that how the king can confirm whether the conjecture on the elephant is correct or incorrect. How can he confirm the conjecture on the untouched area of the elephant, after he build up an image of the elephant by synthesizing reports? In physics we can repeat experiments on hypotheses. But in politics and economics an experiment on hypothesis is capable of causing fatal situation.
If a person come to believe in a certain false creed, perhaps his/her life will be spoiled. Of course we cannot experiment like we do in physics. That is why many of us often hesitate to come to believe in. It is more difficult to grasp the relation of cause and effect in religion than in physics. In my opinion, the law of causality is valid not only in the this world but also between this world and the other higher dimensional world. We make a wish and pray to God on the premise that there is the law of cause and effect between this world and the higher dimensions where God exists.

Validity of a theory - 'valid ranges'


When three legs have been reported, the king would easily conjecture the existence of the forth leg and he could confirm it. He just let a blind man go where the forth leg exists and make him touch it. But the king should choose some different method to confirm his conjecture on the head of the elephant. A elephant is tall animal so that he has to prepare a ladder.

Scientists have been searching for the universal law of nature. Nevertheless, to greater or less extent, all scientific theories are limited and have their own limitations or so called 'valid ranges'. Some of them are universal and very available to observation, hypothesis, experimentation and analyses of phenomena. And some of them are not.

For instance, everyone knows one of the universal laws of nature Newton's law of gravitation which is very useful in physics. Scientists can utilize Newton's law of gravitation to launch an artificial satellite, though sometimes Newton's law is not available to analysis of the interplanetary movement. Scientists have to take account that ray of light is bent by gravitation(space is warped.), when they observe astronomical objects. When they discuss celestial mechanics, they cannot ignore the theory of relativity. Of course, I do not mean that Newton's law is wrong and Einstein's theory of relativity is correct. Both two are right, I would like to point out their ranges. On the other hand, some of scientific theories are limited and cannot be widely applied. As far as means of experimentation are concerned, they become out of date instantly.

Meanwhile, many founders of religions have tried to preach universal teachings. But their teachings had limitation of times when each of them lived, and their teachings have partially got out of date and have gradually lost availability to save people. In my point of view, there have been world wide religions and local ones. The former have spread world wide such as Christianity and Buddhism because their teachings are universal. The latter have remained various ethnic religions because their teachings are not universal and some of them have rites but no teachings. I come to the conclusion that all religions have their own limitations or so called 'valid ranges', some of them are universal and the others are not. Christianity and Buddhism have been universal world wide religions for two thousands years or more. I am convinced that from now on the Institute for Research in Human Happiness (Kofuku-no-Kagaku) will be the universal world wide religion for next thousands years.

(Written by utopia)



Unended part III
Unended part V
Unended Quest

utopia@gol.com