18/11/05

Dalai Lama says science needs ‘secular ethics’

The Dalai Lama calls for deeper dialogue between scientists and moral leaders

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Many people say science and religion are in opposition, however, according to the Dalai Lama, Buddhism and science share a “search for truth”. He says if science proves Buddhism to be wrong, the religion must change.


Writing in the International Herald Tribune, the Dalai Lama calls for deeper dialogue between scientists and moral leaders regarding challenges facing humanity and the role of science in overcoming them.


Progress in research, especially in the life sciences, needs to be directed by ‘secular ethics’: ethical principals that transcend religious barriers and are common to everyone, he says.


The choice of what to do with scientific knowledge must not be left in the hands of a few individuals, he adds, but is a question for everyone concerned with “the fate of human existence”.


Link to full article in the International Herald Tribune