Science and spirituality: a dialectic relationship

During its long evolutionary history, humanity has developed various pathways and methods for obtaining and expressing knowledge about the self and the world, including philosophy, science, religion, art, and literature. Among these, science and spirituality have been two major driving forces of civilization.

The power of science (and its applications in technology) is responsible for material and technological progress. Since the information technology revolution in the last century, in particular, we have been witnessing an incredible expansion of our capabilities of global communication and of our transport and travel facilities (even in outer space), while in medicine we have enjoyed the discovery of unimaginable surgical devices and techniques, which have had many beneficial impacts on our health. Spirituality (and its codification in religion), on the other hand, is responsible for the internal growth of individuals, as well as for ethical constraints on excessive consumption of the planet's resources.