It was a long time after the discovery of fire and the domestication of animals before human beings learned to harness the power of wind and water, followed by the employment of steam and electricity. Pottery, weaving and metalwork proceeded the development of writing and printing. The interaction of these cultural and inventive processes accelerated the rate of social advancement. But, the influence of science goes far beyond the mere accumulation of knowledge, as important as that might be. Its manifestations have dramatically altered the cultural and social environments of the past and created the world in which we live today.

The advancements of science, in the later part of the 18th century, resulted in the Industrial Revolution of Britain. Its key components were the mechanization of cotton spinning and weaving, the manufacture of iron on a larger scale than ever before, and the development of the steam engine. These technological achievements led to the appearance of the first factories and to the invention of a completely new mode of transportation, the railroad. This spread of modern industrialization has changed human lives more in the last two hundred years than anything else in the whole of recorded history, with the possible exception of the emergence of agriculture around twelve thousand years ago, or the invention of the computer during the early part of the 20th century.

Certain concepts and ideals, which have been fostered by science, influenced three great political revolutions during the past two centuries: the American Revolution of 1776, the French Revolution of 1789, and the Russian Revolution of 1917. And, no matter what your individual opinions of these revolutions and their dire consequences, it is undeniable that they have and continue to shape the course of current political issues.

Lastly, science has had an enormous influence upon theology and our perception of our place in the universe, as well as our relationship to the other forms of life on this planet. From being the masters of a world that existed as the center of the universe, and around which the rest of creation revolved, humans are now seen as inhabiting a tiny planet that orbits a minor star in only one of countless galaxies in a virtually limitless Universe of Universes. And, these same sentient bipeds have realized that they are more closely related, through the mystery of DNA codes, to the lower life forms than was at first believed.

Science has, thus, affected the economic, political, social and religious aspects of human life in ways no other process ever could. It has taught us to speak the language of logic and mathematics, giving an element of precision to our thinking patterns. It has solidified the tenets of philosophy by elimination of error, and purified religious ideals through the destruction of ignorant superstition. It has revealed for us the fundamental structures of the cosmos----matter, energy, space, time, motion, gravitation, etc. It has allowed us to peer into the infinitesimal depths of the subatomic realm, and to gaze into the deepest reaches of the universe. In short, science has unveiled the face of God.

As a general rule, Mystics do not usually concern themselves with precise measurements, weights and observations. But, utilizing the same tools of logic and reason that are used by the scientists, they have come to many conclusions about the nature of time, space, energy, and reality that sound remarkably similar to the findings of quantum physics and the theories of relativity. The quest of the physicists for a unified field theory is not so far removed from the assurance of the Mystics that "All is One." And, the philosophy of universal paradox that is held by the Mystic is echoed in the logic puzzles and enigmas of physics, such as the dual nature of light, which is impossibly both a wave and a particle at the same time.

However, the reconciliation of paradox is not the sole priority of the Mystic. It has its proponents among the most diehard scientists...
 
 

As human consciousness expands and the mind begins to realize its true identity, it will naturally reach outward and upward into space for an understanding of the secrets of the material Universe. But, the progression of science is not limited to the manifestations of the physical realm alone.

Science is sustained by the tools of logic and reason. Religion is founded upon the premise of faith, encouraged by logic. Science enables humans to control and dominate their environment. But, in the material world, nothing can ever be proven absolutely. Some things must be predicated on assumptions, on faith. Mysticism, however, coordinates science and religion with the truth of reality.