Muni Abhijeet Kumar
International Conference on Science and Jain Philosophy
Jain ascetic, Dr. Muni Abhijit Kumar, Ph.D., M.A., B.A., is a young research fellow who has mastered 12 ancient as well as modern languages. He has many articles published in reputed national and international journals and has delivered talks on crucial issues of science, philosophy, culture and society in several National and International Conferences.
Wonderful discoveries, recent inventions and technological advancements in Science have definitely improved the standard of life. Sound techniques, advanced tools, latest machinery, sophisticated systems and modern equipments have made life easier, comfortable and even more luxurious.
Today's new breed of mystics compromising of quantum physics, molecular biologists, mathematicians, cyberneticists all have largely explored the depths of frontier sciences. They have been making constant efforts in the search of truth. Global village concept is, emerging. Interlinking in the whole world has resulted by the application of scientific principles in the form of information technology, electronic media, satellites, internet, mobile phone and many more.
In the last few decades, developments on the globe have fostered on both the sides positive and negative. With the advancement of technology and interconnectivity many other problems have also increased. Economic disparity, poverty, pollution, natural calamities, psycho-somatic diseases, domestic violence and political conflicts are some of the main problems. A question arises - How is it possible?
On one hand we are proud of new developments made by human race in all branches of knowledge. But on another, the increasing tension and lack of happiness in a major part of human society have raised many questions on these developments. The pursuit of eternal happiness must be one of the main aims and not mere possessing and developing material comforts. In most of the religions, the issue of eternal happiness is dealt in one or another form. Summum Bonum, Moksha, Salvation, Liberation, Mukti, Nirvana, beatitude of these terms relate to the same concept.
These are moments in history when a new direction has to be given to the age old process. Today, in this scientific age or in the age of modernity and technology, we have to give it a spiritual direction.
Upturning the pages of history of western philosophical tradition, we find that radical changes took place with the arrival of Socrates, Descartes, Kant, Nietzsche etc. The emergence of science especially Newtonian physics in the 16th Century brought a revolutionary change in the world history.
Has not the time for evolution of an ultra- modern personality comprising of both the scientific spirit of objective pursuit and spiritual spirit of developing intuitional insight ripened? I think it is high time that an integration of these two diverse but complementary schemes should take place to save the humanity from the ultimate doom, threatened by both the nuclear weapons waiting for devouring the whole mankind on one hand and the ecological imbalance and environmental disorder, which already have started taking their prey through global warming, on the other.
