Science and Religion Essay -- History, Witchcraft, Magic

Humans do non engage the military personnel in a neutral way of life. Instead, we see world through the mankind that our culture creates. Without culture, humanity would have to continuously reinvent the wheel, perhaps withal literally. It casts a web of verity over us that is inescapable. We argon continuously in the grip of our culture. Therefore, it isnt surprising to find societies with cultures which differ greatly from ours who come to very different conclusions about what reality is. When we are confronted with these differences in world views, we are often quick and confident to assert that our way of life is superior to others.This is behavior isnt unique to tribes indigenous to contrary lands who believe in so-called primitive religions. It is even true of the westerly worlds modern science. Science is another example of the cultural frameworks we use to understand the world around us. If this is the case, then science withal must be part of a web of re ality created by our culture, and is therefore not superior (nor wanting(p)) to religion, but preferably runs parallel to it. However, the western sandwich mind generally recoils from the idea that science does anything but describe reality in hard, empirical detail. As mentioned, since these cultural frameworks envelope us, we often to not regard them as socially negotiated ways of winsome the world, but rather as absolute and unquestioned reality. The same is true of both religion and science.The unquestioned nature of this cultural framework was described by anthropologist Evans-Pritchard in his seminal work, Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande. In this ethnography, Evans-Pritchard examines how completely encompassing the Azande tradition of put-on and witchcraft is to the people.... ...thin the same process. In this way, science seems superior to other methods of engaging the world. However, as we have seen, science has its limitations in describing certain categories of knowledge. It cannot be apply to make ethical judgements or learn an ultimate truth. Such areas are outside its scope. In this way, magic and religion provide answers which science cannot.So science is not necessarily superior to religion and magic, neither is it inferior to it. It is another way of engaging the world, one which answers a different great deal of questions and solves a different set of problems from magic and religion. So long as a cultural framework benefits the society which implements it, it is useful. Furthermore, when these cultural frameworks are as deeply intertwined with everyday reality as is the case with the Azandes witchcraft, they beat necessary.