Oneness principle in the elegant universe

15 Dec 2008, 0000 hrs IST, MANI BHAUMIK

Can one be a person of both devotion and science?
Is there room in a universe of inherent quantum uncertainty for the presence of a stabilisingforce?
Is there an architect behind the magnificent structure we call natural law?
The answer to all of these questions could be 'yes'.


Science and spirituality are indeed two sides of the same coin. Our consciousness is the window that allows us to perceive all reality. We realise spiritual experience through consciousness. The same consciousness also facilitates harvesting of cherished and profound scientific knowledge. So there is the strong possibility that there is a deep, hidden relationship between those two experiential comprehensions. How do we bring together the apparently disparate perceptions garnered by our consciousness so that we reconcile science and spirituality? See things in an entirely new light. But because of the counter-intuitive ideas and esoteric maths involved in recent mind-expanding revelations in quantum physics and cosmology, the implications have not yet permeated public awareness.

Consider the following evidence:

1. The underpinning of our daily world is significantly different from what we see as reality. Paradoxically, the primary aspects of our existence are totally abstract.
2. This unimaginably vast universe came from a tiny nugget of space much, much smaller than even an atom.
3. The total energy this enormous, busy universe is, has been, and always will be zero.
4. The immensely huge cosmos is amazingly consistent. The same natural laws apply in every corner of the universe.
5. Despite nature's seemingly immense diversity, science is ever coming closer to proving that all that exists derives from a single source.
6. Despite the built-in quantum uncertainty in the bedrock of reality and all the chaos in our daily world, the universe fundamentally appears to be an orderly place.

The above seem to indicate the existence of a higher power providing a guiding hand. If there was no purpose for this universe or our lives, if there was nothing guiding this entire universe, why then is everything not just in utter disorder, rather than being so exquisitely coordinated on an unimaginably vast scale?

One could argue this mystery away by presuming that there are innumerable other universes, each with different possibilities of natural laws and other factors. Our universe merely happens to be the one that where everything is "just right" for the elegantly systematic works that allow for the emergence of intelligent beings like us. The problem with such a line of reasoning is that there does not appear to be even a hint yet of a possibility of validating the existence of any other universe than the only one we know. Our scientific knowledge thus seems to support the belief in a higher power that is at the core of all spiritual traditions. Problems arise only when the higher power is conceived as a person or gets mixed up with detrimental superstitions.

Some scientists now go boldly where very few have gone before. Roger Penrose and Albert Einstein wondered why the universe has developed in obedience to laws that our consciousness seems designed to grasp. Could this imply that our consciousness is a fundamental reality that is intertwined with the universe and the higher power behind it? In the backdrop of recent scientific discoveries, it could be asserted that man and Creator indeed comprise an inseparable oneness. Perceiving ourselves as part of this much larger entity appears necessary for an abiding happiness.

The writer is author of 'Code Name God' and 'The Cosmic Detective'.
(Times Of India, The Speaking Tree, 15:12:2008)
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