Science and Ultimate Concern: Professor Jiang Sheng gave a speech at SDU
Posted in Lectures & ConferencesOn Nov. 28, 2006, Professor Jiang Sheng gave a lecture to more than 100 students from various departments at School of History and Culture of SDU.
Prof. Jiang introduced the GPSS-MAP-STAR project and hoped young students open their mind and devote into inter-disciplinary researches, concerning the inter-penetration between natural science and humanity and social sciences.
In his speech, Professor Jiang explicated the role of ultimate concern in scientific exploration and the meaning of scientific research to ultimate concern. He holds that science and ultimate concern are two intercrossed circles. Religion, as the ultimate concern, pursuits the meaning of life and the final essence of universe; science recognizes nature and explores the essence of universe. However, science is not omnipotent and cannot optionally reach any field. Quoting thoughts of Cheng Xuanying (a famous Taoist in Tang Dynasty), Professor Jiang pointed out, by convergence of “known” and “unknown”, man developed creative abilities which was originally included in religion, and explained everything with satisfaction. With the development of modern science and technology, the human spiritual space appears to be made vanity by the ongoing acceleration of human desire which is used to push commercial economy forward. The aim of ultimate concern is concerning the potential and meaning of man. On this way, future science, cosmology for instance, may be applicable and also may be criticized according to man’s spiritual pursuit in the coming times. Science and theology may help each other, if we can manage and use them very well.