Ales Rarus

[The following is adapted from a paper I wrote for an undergraduate class I took several years ago. - Funky]

Religion as Sacred and Science as Profane:
Bryan Appleyard’s Views on Science and Religion in Relation to Mircea Eliade’s Theory of the Sacred and the Profane As It Applies to the Search for God

For those unfamiliar with Mircea Eliade or Bryan Appleyard, allow me to briefly who they are, what they had to say, and why they are important to this article. I will also briefly summarize Star Trek V for those who have not seen it within recent memory.

Mircea Eliade (1907-1986) was Chairman of the Department of History of Religions at the University of Chicago as well as prolific writer of religious theory. In his book, The Sacred and the Profane: the Nature of Religion, he puts forth the notion that life is intrinsically sacred. By that, he means two things. First, he says that mankind is naturally religious. Religion is the driving force behind almost every human endeavor. He goes as far to refer to humans as Homo religiosis. Second, he claims that there is a fundamental reason for this singular obsession. That is, the universe is sacred and therefore every creation in the universe is born from the sacred and steeped with religious significance and meaning.

Eliade, basing is ideas upon the groundwork laid by Rudolf Otto, defines the sacred as something "wholly other". It is like nothing human or cosmic. Mankind, faced with the presence of the sacred nature of the universe is transfixed and gripped with fear as he realizes his "profound nothingness". Strictly speaking, that which is profane is in opposition to the sacred. In other words, it is that which is taken to be precisely what it appears to be. No significance beyond its physical reality is taken into account. Eliade chooses not to put the profane mode of existence to shame, but simply to represent the sacred life as one that provides meaning to existence for those who engage it.

This brings me to Bryan Appleyard, whose goals are not quite as innocent or simple as those of Eliade. Appleyard, a columnist for London’s Sunday Times, seems to share in Eliade’s belief in sacred life, but not in his sympathy for those who choose a profane life. In his insightful and caustic book, Understanding the Present: Science and the Soul of Modern Man, he takes aim at the scientific community. He claims that science has poisoned our souls. He believes it has robbed us of our purpose of being. However, rather than simply start a witch-hunt against science, as many (particularly fanatical Islamists and certain so-called Fundamentalist Christians) have done in the past and continue to do today, Appleyard intelligently suggests that science is appropriate, and less likely to be harmful, when used for the right purpose. That purpose is the discovery of the "how’s" of the universe. He would like to see religion regain its place as the explainer of the "why’s".

This is where I come in. I believe that the universe is inherently sacred and that mankind’s obsession with the unknown is due to a longing to be reunited with that sacredness. I also believe that the profane sciences, specifically the demands of materialistic reductionism, have wrongfully attempted to place themselves in a position to undermine religious faith and replace it with their own brand of faith, based entirely on logic. [NOTA BENE: This does not mean that I distrust and disavow science. I am a scientist by training and obviously hold science in great esteem. However, as a scientist, I’m rather fond of sayings like "the right tool for the job" and would like to see reilgion and science stop trying to answer each other’s questions.]

My purpose here is to discuss the conflict between science and religion in the context of sacred and profane existence. I will be using Star Trek V: The Final Frontier to illustrate my points. In particular I will be focusing on Sybock’s search for God at the center of the glazy. The opinions expressed are my own, but are developed out of a marriage of the theories of Eliade and Appleyard.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Page: 1 2

Funky Dung