Reductionism and Spirituality

Mount Carmel Catholic Bloggers has a post called Science against God? about examining the correlates of brain functioning and spirituality. They have legitimate concerns about how science may get used. Both scientists and non-scientists alike must be careful of reductionism. Reductionism is a belief that all phenomena of a higher order realm, can be fully explained using a more basic realm. For example, all biology can be explained only by looking at chemistry. While few would deny that there are connections between levels of explanation (physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, spirituality), there are more than a few reductionists who believe that all higher order phenomena can be reduced to the most elementary levels. Of course there are relations between higher and lower levels of understanding, but understanding that there are relations does not reduce s phenomenon to a more basic level. For example, many scientists believe that psychological phenomena can be reduced to mere biology. However, this provides an unsatisfactory explanation of human psychology and cannot fully account for psychology. But a biological understanding does enhance our understanding of psychology and can guide our understanding of how our psychology is dependent upon and our biology. Still, there are those who believe that a reduction of psychology to biology is inevitable. The illogical conclusion of reductionism is that all phenomenon can be explained using physics. Imagine trying to explain the biodiversity in the animal kingdom using merely the laws of phsyics - no chemistry, no biology, no evolution, no theology, just physics. You can't. This is true at higher orders as well. Imagine understanding the love a grandson has for his grandmother merely by biological processes. Again, you can't. Just as spiritual experience cannot be reduced to mere brain functioning. Chemistry cannot merely be reduced to physics. Biology cannot merely be reduced to chemistry. Psychology cannot merely be reduced to biology. Spirituality cannot merely be reduced to psychology. Each of these connects to the lower level of explanation, but none can be simply reduced to it. There is a point, however to studying phenomena at multiple levels, and we should not be afraid to look at the connection between physics, biology, psychology and spirituality. Science is a gift that can give us greater understanding and appreciation of the divine. Science is merely a method of gathering facts and observation. It is the interpretation of the facts which can build our understanding or pervert it. It is the quality of the argument that can build up our understanding or serve a more nefarious purpose. What we must guard against is the materialistic reductionist philosophy to which many scientists adhere. Because that siren song leads to spiritual shipwreck. It warps science and makes claims that are not true. It is not science itself. Rather, it is a perverse faith that has seduced too many scientists.