As science freed itself from the binding literalism of religious world views, it has become sadly evident that the pilgrimage of the human spirit has divided into what seems an irreconcilable polarity. Whitehead insightfully noted that the future of humanity depends, more than any other single factor, on the way the two most powerful forces in history?science and religion?settle into relationship with each other. For four hundred years that relationship has been strained. Initially, the church had the power and did not use it wisely. Now science holds the cards, and the dominance of its world view has unwittingly forced the human spirit into a tunnel and deprived it of the light it needs to flourish.
This presentation examines how the dominance of the scientific mindset has cramped and distorted the modern outlook – specifically through education, the media, and law – and offers hopeful evidence that suggests that we may be seeing a new light at the end of the tunnel.