There are currently __two categories of people__: those who believe __Religion (Spirituality) must be trusted__ and those who __believe in Science__. 
It's actually quite difficult to find someone outside of these typologies.

http://images.wisegeek.com/scientific-researcher.jpg
_image from [wisegeek.com](http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-light-microscope.htm)_

In the __past centuries__ we have been accustomed to think that __Religion was good__ because __we__, as humans, __were not the unique intelligent beings__ in a basically __blind, stupid and chaotic universe__. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Creaci%C3%B3n_de_Ad%C3%A1n_%28Miguel_%C3%81ngel%29.jpg
_image by Michelangelo, from [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creation_of_Adam)_
_notice how God's image is inscribed into an human brain shape_

__There was a Father__ (or the _Big Boss_) up there, who __cared about us__ as their children and creatures.

#### This was somehow conforting to humanity, until His presence became too much intrusive ####

In fact the "big Boss" was not only a lovely, compassionate Father
* He was able to see everything we said and did
* He was even able to read our minds and most hidden intentions
* He gave us this material life as a gift, not as a right, and decided when to take it back
* at the end, he would send us to Heaven or Hell, forever

_I am referring here to the Western, Judaic-Christian conception of divinity, which influenced for centuries all the western people._

### To avoid this intrusive, despotic presence, many decided to become Atheists or Agnostics ###

#### Religion became too much oppressive for many people, while Science at least gave them some "privacy" ####


So the __mainstream vision__ became more __Science-oriented__, and the whole depiction of the Universe changed deeply:
* __Universe has not a Boss__, but it's an unintelligent, blind, __fully automated mechanism__
* We as __humans__ are an __exception__ to the infinite blindness of everything around us
* The __external world__, including __Nature__, is basically __hostile to us__, so we need to _conquer_ and _dominate_ it

http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/history.bigbang.jpg
_image from [universetoday.com](http://www.universetoday.com/54756/what-is-the-big-bang-theory/)_
### As a consequence of this vision, man became justified to dominate any other being in the Universe, as he was at the highest peak of Evolution ###

#### But this idea of separation from Nature seems quite arbitrary and brought to the destruction and exploitation of our Planet ####

__It's quite funny to think that such a vision of the Universe may be truthful:__
### a huge, infinite bunch of unintelligent, dead matter and a tiny planet lost in a galaxy with us, the one and only self-concious being ###


## Criticism over Religion ##
Main __criticism toward religion__ was that __it created a tool to dominate human bodies and minds__, becoming an __instrument of the Power__ to enslave and manipulate people.

### We forgot that Science relies on private companies, mulinational corporations and Governments to finance its research ###

#### So why Science should be truthful, democratic and enlightened? ####

## The experimental method can not fail ##
This statement doesn't sound so different from "__Bible can not fail, because is the Word of God__".
In fact, every day experiments are done which show that past experiments were wrong.
__This bring us to the next statement__:

## Science is better than Religion because it's constantly under revision ##
That's true, but remember that __also religion was constantly revised__ (without much ado) during centuries (soul was given to women, limbo was removed from doctrine, etc).
The problem with the revision of Science is that is a __controlled mechanism__:
* __"heretic" scientists__ or scientists not liked from the System are unheard and their discoveries ignored or silenced
* __founding of researches that do not please big companies or governments are cut immediately__

### So, currently every individual can be manipulated by Religion or by Science, depending on his belief system ###
### Both are control systems used by the Power to give people the vision it wants ###

## Religion in Europe had the Inquisition while Science is tolerant ##
In Europe, starting from the Middle Age, when someone doubted the Bible or Gospel, was tortured and killed.

http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/medieval/images/inquisition.gif
_image from [stthomas.edu](http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/medieval/images/inquisition.gif)_

__But what happens today if someone claims to see something that for Science doesn't exist?__
There are some options:
* __if he claims to see Saints, Mother Mary, God__, he may be taken under the wing of __Religion__ and have no problem
* __if he claims to see extra-religious things__ (aliens, ghosts, telepathy, etc) he may be considered __mentally ill__ and risk to be __hospitalized in some lunatic asylum__
* if he's a __scientist__ himself may __raise the interest of governments__ or risk being __ridiculed__ and __ignored__ by his colleagues and eventually lose his job

http://www.lygodc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/andy-kaufman-straightjacket-close-up.png
_image from [lygodc.com](http://www.lygodc.com/the-blog/comedians-psychotic-traits/)_

### Psychiatry became the new Inquisition ###

## Methodological Reductionism and Scientific Miopia ##
The "Official Science" is strongly oriented towards Methodological Reductionism, i.e. the idea that __complex systems or phenomena can be understood only by the analysis of their simpler components__.

Let's take __Medicine as example__: today we got Medical Specialists: each one is an __expert about a single organ__ or portion of the human body.

This means that:
* it's impossible to have a full vision of human being
* every specialist takes care of a single part of the body, ignoring or undervaluating the consequences on the others
* human body is seen as a machine, forgetting that the machine is dead while the body is a whole, living system
* to have a complete diagnosis you should need an equipe of many doctors, including psychologists, talking each other and comparing their results for a long time. which often doesn't happen for common patients

## Conclusions ##
This post has a critical approach towards Science and Religion.
__It doesn't mean that I think that both of them are harmful or useless__, I'm just highlighting the __limits__ and __weaknesses__ they have.

__I don't want to generalize__: many religious people or scientists have a different approach and are trying to change the situation.

What I would like to share is that sometimes also the Scientific approach can be dogmatic, close-minded and, finally, an act of faith.

### In fact, both theists and atheists make an act of faith, because God's existance (or inexistance) can not be proven  ###

### I also want to point out that, in an imperfect world, where corruption and profit often rule, can be childish to think that only Science remains pure, democratic, immaculate. ###

#### Please leave your feedback and follow me @andrew0 ####