| The philosophy of Advaita Vedanta is one of the few | | | | However, here the similarity between present science |
| spiritual philosophies that conform to science. It is | | | | and Advaitism ends. Quantum Physics despite |
| neither contradicted by nor contradicts present | | | | proposing particles with ambiguous reality at the base, |
| scientific positions. | | | | does not go on to propose anything which has |
| In Advaita Vedanta, the world is said to have two | | | | absolute reality and says it is this ambiguous reality |
| levels of reality, the level of the world that we see | | | | which holds at the base. |
| around us which has relative reality, and the level of | | | | Advaita Vedanta would not say that present quantum |
| Brahman or Oneness, which has absolute reality. | | | | physics is wrong. Instead what it says is that it is |
| The world around us is said to be only relatively real. | | | | incomplete. It is the assertion of Advaita Vedanta that |
| This does not mean that it does not exist or is unreal, | | | | neither the Standard Model nor other theories like |
| but only that its level of reality is not perfect, it is an | | | | String theory that propose discrete, 'atomic' particles |
| ambiguous reality. It has an indistinct reality, nothing that | | | | will be the final answer and they will be found to be |
| we examine in the world can be shown to have a | | | | incomplete with further sub structures beyond them. |
| definite reality. Whenever we analyze anything in the | | | | Advaita Vedanta asserts that when the final root is |
| world down to its roots, we will find that it degenerates | | | | discovered of this world, it will be an entity which is |
| into an ambiguous reality. It is only when we reach the | | | | homogeneous, continuous and not discrete, and which |
| level of Brahman or Oneness that we will find a | | | | is independent of time and space, in other words, |
| definite reality. | | | | Brahman. |
| Brahman in Advaita is considered to be the absolute | | | | Hence Advaita Vedanta does not contradict science |
| reality. It is not affected by time or space and hence is | | | | at all, in fact present quantum physics is a vindication |
| homogeneous, non-discrete and beyond this everyday | | | | of its assertion that the world is only relatively real. But |
| world. | | | | it encompasses quantum physics and goes beyond it |
| Now, coming to present science, we find that as far | | | | and says there is a further truth beyond its present |
| as the first part of the Advaita proposition, quantum | | | | theories, and that is an absolute entity. |
| physics defines the world in the same way. In quantum | | | | The greatness of this theory is that not only does it |
| physics also, the ultimate reality of the world is said to | | | | not contradict science but science also does not |
| be quantum particles. At present, the particles of the | | | | contradict it. It is well recognized in quantum physics |
| Standard Model, a table that defines about 50-60 | | | | that the present Standard Model is not sufficient since |
| subparticles like quarks, muons and bosons, are | | | | there are too many loose ends in it and it is widely |
| considered to be the fundamental particles that | | | | accepted that there is a further sub structure below it. |
| constitute all of the world. Now, it is interesting that the | | | | The alternatives like String Theory which are proposed |
| reality of these quantum particles is described in very | | | | as this sub structure have already developed problems |
| much the same terms that Advaita Vedanta used to | | | | even before they are fully accepted. Hence quantum |
| describe the relative reality of the world. In quantum | | | | physics would not say that the Absolute of Advaita |
| physics also, it is recognized that the reality of these | | | | Vedanta is false, at best it would say that this absolute |
| quantum particles is not well defined, and they have an | | | | has not been reached as yet. But since the journey of |
| ambiguous, 'smudged' reality. | | | | quantum physics is not complete and there is a long |
| Again, it is well recognized in present science that the | | | | way to go, quantum physicists would still consider |
| Standard Model is not complete, and there is a | | | | proving or disproving the Advaita Vedanta theory to |
| sub-structure below it. What exactly this is is still not | | | | be far into the future. Of course, if the Standard Model |
| known, various theories like String theory, Technicolor | | | | had been completely proved, or its substructure, the |
| theory, etc. are proposed. These propose entities | | | | String Theory is completely proved sometime in the |
| which define, if possible, entities which are even more | | | | future, then we would say that Advaita is contradicted |
| ambiguous in their reality! Thus both Advaita Vedanta | | | | by science. But at present at least, this does not seem |
| and modern quantum physics assert that the world | | | | likely at all and String Theory in its turn is likely to be as |
| has an ambiguous reality. | | | | incomplete as the present Standard Model. |