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   SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT MUST AIM AT THE TRUE GOOD OF MAN   
      
   VATICAN CITY, 28 OCT 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received participants   
   in the plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, who have been   
   meeting to reflect on the theme: "The Scientific Legacy of the Twentieth   
   Century".   
      
   Addressing the group in English, the Holy Father affirmed that "on the one   
   hand, science is posited by some as a panacea, proven by its notable   
   achievements in the last century. Its innumerable advances ... seemed to   
   confirm the point of view that science might answer all the questions of man's   
   existence, and even of his highest aspirations. On the other hand, there are   
   those who fear science and who distance themselves from it, because of sobering   
   developments such as the construction and terrifying use of nuclear weapons.   
      
   "Science, of course", he added, "is not defined by either of these extremes.   
   Its task was and remains a patient yet passionate search for the truth about   
   the cosmos, about nature and about the constitution of the human being. In this   
   search, there have been many successes and failures, triumphs and setbacks".   
      
   "Nonetheless, even provisional results constitute a real contribution to   
   unveiling the correspondence between the intellect and natural realities, on   
   which later generations may build further", the Pope said.   
      
   "Our meeting here today", he went on, "is a proof of the Church's esteem for   
   ongoing scientific research and of her gratitude for scientific endeavour,   
   which she both encourages and benefits from. In our own day, scientists   
   themselves appreciate more and more the need to be open to philosophy if they   
   are to discover the logical and epistemological foundation for their   
   methodology and their conclusions. For her part, the Church is convinced that   
   scientific activity ultimately benefits from the recognition of man's spiritual   
   dimension and his quest for ultimate answers that allow for the acknowledgement   
   of a world existing independently from us, which we do not fully understand and   
   which we can only comprehend in so far as we grasp its inherent logic.   
      
   "Scientists do not create the world; they learn about it and attempt to imitate   
   it, following the laws and intelligibility that nature manifests to us. The   
   scientist's experience as a human being is therefore that of perceiving a   
   constant, a law, a 'logos' that he has not created but that he has instead   
   observed: in fact, it leads us to admit the existence of an all- powerful   
   Reason, which is other than that of man, and which sustains the world. This is   
   the meeting point between the natural sciences and religion. As a result,   
   science becomes a place of dialogue, a meeting between man and nature and,   
   potentially, even between man and his Creator".   
      
   In closing his remarks the Pope proposed "two thoughts for further reflection.   
   First, as increasing accomplishments of the sciences deepen our wonder of the   
   complexity of nature, the need for an interdisciplinary approach tied with   
   philosophical reflection leading to a synthesis is more and more perceived.   
   Secondly, scientific achievement in this new century should always be informed   
   by the imperatives of fraternity and peace, helping to solve the great problems   
   of humanity, and directing everyone's efforts towards the true good of man and   
   the integral development of the peoples of the world. The positive outcome of   
   twenty-first century science will surely depend in large measure on the   
   scientist's ability to search for truth and apply discoveries in a way that   
   goes hand in hand with the search for what is just and good".   
   AC/VIS 20101028 (590)   
      
   SUMMARY   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS =Meridian, MS= bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)