ABSTRACT
The binary reading of science and religion as conflictual or complementary emerged with western scientific modernity. On the one hand, saying that science and religion are in conflict conveys the message that science and religion are competing categories and antagonistic worlds – a thought of modern Enlightenment. This idea, as historians of science show, doesn’t do justice either to science or to religion, or to their diverse histories of engagement. On the other hand, the claim that science and religion are naturally in relationship boosts the claims of ancient and superior scientific religions. This idea of complementarity is used for the purpose of scientification of religion, and eventually used for the cause of cultural nationalism. I argue in the concluding chapter that science and religion have specific meanings in India, yet the culture and debates of science and religion in India share much in common with other parts of the world. The book argues that it is not enough to study the specific contexts of science and religion, rather it is equally important to study the shared experiences and histories with other cultural contexts as well. For an informed global anthropology of science and religion, it is necessary that we shift the focus of discussion from the West to the non-western sites as it enriches the discussion and gives new narratives and vocabularies to talk about science and religion.
