Building a Culture of Empathy

[aishah]

Originally Posted by mariamma

It's kind of awesome to see humans grow up. I know India has brought significant science and spirituality together as well as great basic science. I love the different perspective and the different interpretation of energy the Indians have brought to the forefront.

the book prophets facing backward by meera nanda talks about how there has actually been a lot of struggle around this issue in india. the book is not without problems (the author is an avowed atheist) but it's a good overview of the struggle between science and religion in india, which has been the source of a lot of political turmoil in the last few decades.

i am really grateful that scientists are starting to look at the effects of things like meditation on the body. i worry about the cultural appropriation that sometimes results, but it does seem that people are bridging the gap between science and faith more now.

i definitely agree w/both of you (ncs and mariamma) that the privileging of science in the u.s. (especially as it's mostly defined by white folks) can be really problematic. i'm grateful to you ncs for bringing that up.