Limitations of Material Scientists
While modern scientists are often revered as the architects of progress, Śrīla Prabhupāda offers a sobering perspective on their actual capabilities. He argues that material science, by definition, is limited to the study of gross matter and is therefore blind to the subtle and spiritual dimensions of reality. By ignoring the soul and the Supreme Lord, scientists have constructed a "godless civilization" based on imperfect theories. They promise a bright future but cannot solve the fundamental problems of existence: birth, death, old age, and disease.
Myth of Chemical Life
One of the most significant delusions of modern science, according to Śrīla Prabhupāda, is the belief that life originates from matter. Scientists propose that life is merely a complex combination of chemicals. Śrīla Prabhupāda challenges this by asking them to produce life in the laboratory. He points out that even if they combine the chemicals found in an egg and place it in an incubator, they cannot produce a chicken without the presence of the soul. Because they cannot create life, their claim to understand the origin of the universe is baseless.
- The modern scientists’ theory that life begins from matter is nonsense. Both matter and life begin from life. Unfortunately the scientists do not know this scientific fact; they are drifting in the darkness of their so-called knowledge.
- Modern scientists imagine that life can be produced from chemical combinations.
- Even if they (modern scientists) were to prepare an egg and put it in an incubator, this man-made chemical egg would not produce a chicken. The soul must be added because there is no question of a chemical combination for life.
Cosmic Myopia
Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently critiques the astronomical conclusions of modern scientists, particularly regarding the nature of other planets. While scientists describe the moon as a desolate desert of dust and rocks, Vedic literature describes it as a heavenly planet with a high standard of living. Śrīla Prabhupāda argues that scientists project their own imperfect experience onto the universe. They assume that because they do not see life like theirs, there is no life at all.
- Modern scientists have insufficient knowledge of all this. Some of them assert that there are one hundred million planets scattered all over space.
- Unfortunately, when modern scientists try to explore other planets they see nothing but rocks and sand.
- Modern so-called scientists, who do not fully understand the moon, describe the moon as being full of deserts. Since the moon is the source for our vegetation, how can the moon be a desert?
Helplessness Before Death
For all their technological advancements—from nuclear weapons to spaceships—modern scientists remain helpless before the ultimate law of nature: death. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes the irony that scientists try to prolong life through "physiochemical advancement," yet they themselves must die. They cannot bring a dead body back to life, nor can they stop the aging process. This inability to conquer the material laws exposes the hollowness of their promise to control nature.
- Modern scientists try to avoid death by physiochemical advancement of knowledge, but alas, the controller of death, Yamaraja, is so cruel that he does not spare even the very life of the scientist himself.
- The modern so-called scientist, they cannot make any solution for birth, death, old age and disease; therefore they have left them aside: "Oh, don't care for them." That is ignorance.
Speculation vs. Authority
Modern science relies on the inductive method—gathering data through imperfect senses to form theories. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that because human senses are limited and prone to illusion, the knowledge derived from them is always imperfect and subject to change ("uncertainty"). In contrast, Vedic knowledge is deductive, descending from a perfect authority. Therefore, a devotee prefers to accept the version of Śukadeva Gosvāmī over the ever-changing speculations of modern researchers.
- Modern scientists have stopped their brainwork by discovering the theory of uncertainty, but factually for a living being there cannot be any brain activity which is not checked by time and space limitations.
- Another difficulty is that those who depend more on their imperfect senses cannot realize Him (Krsna) as the Supreme Lord. Such persons are like the modern scientist. They want to know everything by their experimental knowledge.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda does not condemn science itself but rather the materialistic arrogance that claims to replace God. He invites modern scientists to broaden their vision by considering the spiritual science of the Bhagavad-gītā. Until they acknowledge the soul and the Supreme Controller, their knowledge will remain a "farce" that simply confuses the public and leads humanity further into the darkness of Kali-yuga.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Modern Scientists. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.