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Would the world be much more high tech if religion never existed.

Posted by time2getdown • 10/28/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: curious, freedom, philosophy, progress, religion, technology, thinking

Just wondering what people think.
If religion never existed would we be much more advanced technologically?
Has religion stopped us from progressing in the past?

User Comments

10/28/09

time2getdown

Who will be the first "commenteur"?

[reply]
10/28/09

LGramlich

Per the last question, I have one word for you; Galileo.

[reply]
1. 10/28/09
  
  time2getdown
  
  Bravo, Good example.
10/28/09

polybore

Religion has been an integral part of human technological progression.

[reply]
1. 10/28/09
  
  time2getdown
  
  I'm open to your opinion polybore. I could be wrong all together. Please elaborate.
2. 10/28/09
  
  polybore
  
  Religious scholars are the bedrock of modern science. Like Gregor Mendel the father of Genetics en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_Mendel
  
  You need to bear in mind that for most of human history it was religions that provided the environment were people could study for studies sake. And most importantly they wrote it down.
10/28/09

time2getdown

I guess so polybore, but really I don't think humanity had any other choice. It did allow for a platform of knowledge and theology but it stopped short of allowing people to have an opinion contrary to the system of belief.
The risk of being considered a heretic always out weighed the expression of progress and free thinking. If religion was not part of the equation then I believe we may have avoided the Spanish inquisition that lasted more than a 1000 years and that we might have benefited more if we did not have such restrictions.

[reply]
1. 10/28/09
  
  polybore
  
  As with most human development you have to take the rough with the smooth.
  
  Fundamentally though it is dificult to see how humans coud have developed technologically at all without the development of religion.
10/28/09

nothingprofound

Religion and technology both have their positives and negatives. I think to be honest one needs to be a little wary of both.

[reply]
1. 10/28/09
  
  time2getdown
  
  I see what you mean nothingprofound, I suppose that without religion technology could become immoral and might not correctly take ethics into account, but I believe that we still could have solved problems in an ethical way still without religion and then apply it to better mankind.
2. 10/28/09
  
  nothingprofound
  
  I agree. In fact I think ethics/morality is one of religion's weak points. Where I think religion excels is in its poetry, its depiction of the human condition.