Similarities between Mystical theology and science

[pam69ur]

This philosopher colin ****** dean argues that there are similarities between mystical theology and science . He claims that the negative theology of the Catholic church and ideas from Zen, Taoism and Buddhism mirrors and is similar to the views about reality as expressed by many scientists such as Heisenberg Bohr and others.

In his book called
PROLEGOMENON TO THE STUDY OF THE SIMILARITIES IN MYSTICAL THEOLOGY AND SCIENCE
http://gamahucherpress.yellowgum.com...y/theology.pdf

Dean argues that Mystical theology and science share a common understanding in regard to the limitations and hindrance of language in unlocking reality. Both would agree that language falsifies reality. It falsifies it by imposing limits to the real. It falsifies it by imposing human categories and classifications to the real. For both realities is beyond words and human concepts. Reality transcends language. Language in fact hinders a true understanding of the real. What language does is create what the Hindus’ call Maya. Namely a conventional reality based upon language -a world of appearances and forms of illusion or deception generated by a falsifying language which an unenlightened mind takes as the only reality. For the physicist Bohr language is a barrier to understanding reality Dante like Lao Tzu, Pseudo-Dionysius St Augustine (354-430), St Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) Zen and many forms of Eastern mysticism knew the simultaneous inapplicability and inevitability of human language when talking of reality or God and his attributes and domains. Whether the reality as investigated by science is really just another name for God or the reality investigated by science is just a reality and not the God of religion. In other words is God just another name for reality or is reality just another name for God is by the by. What is important is this reality/God as understood by both science and theology is beyond the ability of human language –and thus intellect to grasp

[Irishcop]

Originally Posted by pam69ur

Whether the reality as investigated by science is really just another name for God or the reality investigated by science is just a reality and not the God of religion. In other words is God just another name for reality or is reality just another name for God is by the by. What is important is this reality/God as understood by both science and theology is beyond the ability of human language –and thus intellect to grasp

This brings Spinoza's Panentheist god* to mind.

* http://www.friesian.com/spinoza.htm

[boagie]

pam69ur,Irishcop,

I think there is a connection between the mystical and science,for the mystical is simply an attempt to describe reality, often going off into out and out fantasy.Philosophy to is related here as well, but not until it was permitted to come to it own conclusions and not have them dictated by the church.In fact the most impressive treatment of Christianity I think I have ever read was a book called,"Breakthrough",by Meister Eckhart a Christian mystic of the twelfth century.Any triblal mythology would qualify here,as man attempting to understand his world and his place in it.The mystical reading of the bible makes much more sense to me,in that it does not insist upon the absurd.