Example research essay topic: Scientific Knowledge Religious Experience - 1,035 words

NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote

... created and yet Steinschnieders theories on SIDS, again despite being seemingly proved and disproved, was readily accepted and still is even after strong evidence that it is an erroneous theory. Kuhn also suggests that in an inverse way to the question at the basis of this essay, society and its institutions constrain the scientists working within it into a certain way of working and thinking and therefore society changes what is accepted as knowledge and not the other way around. Indeed what theories are tested and developed are often reliant on what scientific studies are funded, both with public or private money and as this is a selective process with certain scientific needs being prioritised e. g.

nuclear weapons technology over investigating the merits of cannabis use for M. S. sufferers, we can see that to some degree Kuhn is correct. Religious knowledge is based on faith, a belief in truths revealed rather than information which has been deduced, tested and scrutinised logically and rationally unlike most officially recognised medical knowledge. Religious knowledge used to be assumed to be certain and factual. Natural science has taken its place as the factual knowledge, it is the belief system which is, on mass, thought of as authoritative and proven and it is by this benchmark of proof that a large part of society judges what they will accept as true and religion fails as it is based on faith.

According to many sources (including Newsweek in their 1999 claim that God is Dead) numbers of church attendees have fallen in recent years. It is unclear however which denominations this refers to. Attendance figures provide us with one way of viewing the scale of religious worship, however the respondents in the surveys used to compile numbers have simply said whether they attend church, they have not answered whether they believe in / study any religious text or God. Perhaps the census figures might be a more reliable way of gauging the situation as in the last census respondents were asked to indicate religious belief rather than whether they regularly attended a place of worship. The force of belief across the globe is apparent by the religion inspired sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and some disputes in Northern England earlier in the year. There is no denying that the role of religion in UK society has changed over recent years.

With the rise of scientific knowledge (particularly explanations for the origins of the universe and in particular the Big Bang theory) have given way to a sceptical view of religion that if there is proof that natural forces created the universe despite religious claims otherwise (e. g. the book of Genesis in Christianity) then perhaps all religious claims are false. Grace Davie suggests that while official worship has dwindled (attendance figures in UK have steadily dropped year on year) people have continued to believe without belonging to religious organizations. While our need to understand where we came from has in part been taken care of with scientific knowledge, we often still have needs in terms of guidance or understanding what may be in store for us in a spiritual sense or where we come from philosophically and for these needs we often turn to religious or spiritual theories or teachings for answers.

Perhaps with people (particularly in the Western world) having more access to the teachings of different religions (Eastern religions such as Buddhism are often very popular) through education, the Internet and the Media, we are able to create a pick n mix belief system borrowing different ideas from several religions. This would in some way explain the dwindling attendance figures, as if you believe parts several of several religions where do you base your worship? There is also less pressure within society to attend religious services, in many ways there is pressure (amongst young people especially) not to admit being religious and in this case private worship may be the answer. David Hay set up a Religious Experience Research Project at Nottingham University (based on an earlier project set up in 1969 at Manchester College, Oxford by Alister Hardy).

Using questionnaires and interviews he found that over a third of all adults in Britain claim to have had a religious experience. The number of church attendees is less than this which would support Grace Davies ideas. Hay argues that people are embarrassed to disclose spiritual experiences in todays supposedly secular society, and that popular culture and its complex imagery help repress religious beliefs and desires. Perhaps people find it difficult to admit that despite having clear scientific theories to explain the origins of being they still need the comfort of believing in a higher being, a friendly ghost or perhaps a pre-ordained fate or that someone or something is looking after them and keeping the balance of right and wrong and good and evil in check. It is very common to hear of non-religious people praying in times of crisis or when all else has failed and anything is worth trying. Which suggests that many people have not always completely ruled out the possibilities that religious knowledge has some truth in it but generally we feel confident and in control and only seek outside help when we are vulnerable and desperate.

It is clear that there are no absolutes when it comes to knowledge and that the term itself can mean different things to different people. To some only knowledge which passes the test of modern day methods of investigation should be considered knowledge, to others simply what you believe is knowledge whatever scientific basis it does or doesnt have. It seems that in Modern Society we are often prepared to accept that science is the ultimate knowledge and that all other proposed theories be measured against this benchmark but we do not necessarily have the skills to find out if the scientific knowledge we trust is as factual or definite as we deem it. We often regard knowledge as only as reliable as its messenger, or not as the case may be, yet those messengers we are ready to trust are only trusted because of the tradition of trust that precedes them.

Research essay sample on Scientific Knowledge Religious Experience