Religions have throughout humankind’s history equally united and divided people; they have erected and devastated kingdoms and empires. Historian Yuval N. Harari describes religions, empires and money as the main forces of unifying our species in ever larger organizational structures. Science and technology has in recent years gained a religion like status with dataism and transhumanism as its main sects. Will religion and science converge? And if this is the case: will we have evolved if we continue to use science against each other?
In fact, neither science nor religion cares that much about the truth, hence they can easily compromise, coexist and even cooperate. Religion is interested above all in order. It aims to create and maintain the social structure. Science is interested above all in power. It aims to acquire the power to cure diseases, fight wars and produce food. As individuals, scientists and priests may give immense importance to the truth; but as collective institutions, science and religion prefer order and power over truth. [Yuval N. Harari, Homo Deus]
Join us to watch a 2009 film by Spanish-Chilean director Alejandro Amenabar which is set in the library of Alexandria, the place which in the 4th century AD came closest to today’s largest data center. Alexandria, situated in the Nile delta was in the Greco-Roman culture comparable to what Shanghai is today to the sinocentric world: a city with both the potential to unite or divide humankind for centuries to come.
In fact, neither science nor religion cares that much about the truth, hence they can easily compromise, coexist and even cooperate. Religion is interested above all in order. It aims to create and maintain the social structure. Science is interested above all in power. It aims to acquire the power to cure diseases, fight wars and produce food. As individuals, scientists and priests may give immense importance to the truth; but as collective institutions, science and religion prefer order and power over truth. [Yuval N. Harari, Homo Deus]
Join us to watch a 2009 film by Spanish-Chilean director Alejandro Amenabar which is set in the library of Alexandria, the place which in the 4th century AD came closest to today’s largest data center. Alexandria, situated in the Nile delta was in the Greco-Roman culture comparable to what Shanghai is today to the sinocentric world: a city with both the potential to unite or divide humankind for centuries to come.
