The Spirit Of Science

The technical successes of modern science have obscured a deeper understanding of its place in human knowledge and in our value systems. For many, science belongs in a separate "compartment" from normal human experience, confined to the word of the laboratory. This can give rise to a dark, impersonal and inhuman image of science.In this collection, scientists and thinkers from a range of disciplines examine the relationship of scientific knowledge and practice to the wider dimension of human life and awareness. For some this appears as a dialogue between science and spirituality, for others an investigation into consciousness and the intelligent heart of the cosmos. Whether in physics, cosmology of biology, these essays explore the very nature of knowledge itself and the continuing role of human creativity, emphasizing the need for crossing disciplinary boundaries in our search for understanding.The contributions are based on papers given over 20 years at the annual "Mystics and Scientists" conferences in England.