Krishna Consciousness is not scientific
Submitted by sitapati on Thu, 2009-01-15 22:06
Krishna Consciousness is comprehensive, consistent, systematic, and fully documented, but it is not scientific.
Pratyaksavagamam "direct perception through realization" (Bg. 9.2) is not falsifiable by an observer in a double blind experiment.
Krishna consciousness is reasonable as far as reason goes, but it extends beyond that.
It is a comprehensive, consistent, systematic, fully documented, mystical tradition.
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Krishna consciousness is scientific
Yes, it is scientific, more precisely it is spiritual science namely it goes beyond the limitation of material senses and material experiments. Therefore it is the only true science by which one can understated the real truth as different from illusion. For more explanation read the first verse of the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam and the purport to it by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
science
This is an interesting discussion. If we study logic we find that science (something based on sense perception and logic) can never prove anything to be "true" for the very simple reason that it is impossible to examine every possible instance of something. It is quite common in science for a theory or even "law" to be overturned with a previously unknown counterexample. Kuhn's book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, which is the classic in this field, is worth a read in this regard.
If one defines science as something for which it is possible to find a counterexample or something falsifiable, one will discover that this is just one definition of science and is not accepted by all scientists. This definition also does not apply to many things which we would probably call science in both ordinary and academic applications.
Let's look up a definition of "science". Here's one:
"The word science comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning knowledge.
"How do we define science? According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, the definition of science is "knowledge attained through study or practice," or "knowledge covering general truths of the operation of general laws, esp. as obtained and tested through scientific method [and] concerned with the physical world."
"What does that really mean? Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge. This system uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural phenomena. The term science also refers to the organized body of knowledge people have gained using that system. Less formally, the word science often describes any systematic field of study or the knowledge gained from it.
"What is the purpose of science? Perhaps the most general description is that the purpose of science is to produce useful models of reality."
I think by the above definition, Krishna Consciousness is definitely a science.
Of course, you can pick or create a definition of "science" where Krishna consciousness will not fit the definition, but such "truth by definition" is widely recognized as a logical fallacy to be avoided.
I hope this is helpful.
Your servant, Urmila devi dasi