Home

About Us

Resources

Bookstore

Education

Support SII

Research

Contact Us

Return to Resources page

"Unable to argue directly with the scientists, they cannot deny their own intuitive perception of a creative force pervading all nature. So they have turned their backs on science, espousing mystical, supernatural, existentialist, and transcendental ways of interpreting the experience of existence."

-- Louise B. Young (in The Unfinished Universe)

Science has acquired a reputation for dehumanizing the world, and for leaving us stranded and alienated in a universe for which our existence is irrelevant. In short, it seems to describe a universe which for many people is not really the one in which they would like to live. And yet, science is a powerful tool for understanding the world around us and for gaining new insights that might shed light on what our place might actually be in the universe.

This survey is part of a project to investigate and clarify this common, but vague, perception. We're trying to articulate more clearly and more deeply what features and properties are necessary for a universe in which we can find meaning in our lives. This will put us in a better position to consider what kind of worldview might offer the essential features we feel are important, while remaining within the constraints imposed by insights provided by science, and taking advantage of the guidance science can provide.

Please answer the following questions to help us in this process, and to help clarify your own thinking about the universe we live in. Paste the text below into an email message and send your responses to us.

• How would you define science? What characterizes it as a method of inquiry distinct from other ways of knowing about your world?
• Is science (as you've defined it) a necessary part of your life? If so, describe how you use science as part of your daily life. If not, do you think we'd be better off or happier without science?
• What qualities or properties do you think the universe must have in order for you to feel that you have a place in it, and that your life is meaningful? (In other words, what are the key features or properties of your ideal universe?)
• In what ways has science influenced your sense of what kind of universe we actually live in? (In other words, what do you perceive as the key features or properties of the universe science tells us we live in?)
• What beliefs do you currently hold, that are both important to you and that you suspect would be considered "unscientific?" (i.e. that you think would be criticized by scientists, or that you know contradict accepted scientific evidence, or your perception of the scientific view of the world.)
• Do you think science could be interpreted or applied in a different way that you might find more satisfying? In other words, if there are aspects of the world described by science that you do not like, try to evaluate whether it is the facts or the interpretations that you don't like.
• What new facts could be discovered, that would strike you as evidence that this is a meaningful universe, of the sort you'd like to live in? (For example, proof that life exists on other planets, or evidence that telepathy really works, or that astrology works, or whatever)
• Other comments or suggestions.