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It probably goes back to my childhood. Raised by
theologically ambivalent parents who were as committed to their
agnosticism as many are to their faith, I was taught early on
that science, reason, and rationality are a far better guide to
truth than inspiration, doctrine, or dogma. But as years passed,
and my inbred agnosticism gradually gave way to a committed
spiritual quest, I soon began to have experiences of a deeper
reality, far beyond anything described in my science textbooks.
In the face of this unfolding world of meaning, purpose, and
mystery, the notion that science held the keys to ultimate truth
began to seem increasingly hard to accept.
Although the call of the spirit saved me from a life in the
laboratory, however, my sympathies for science haven't gone
away. One result of this split personality is that whenever I'm
confronted with the battle between science and religion, I
always find it hard to take sides and end up in a sort of
internal battle of my own. Whether it's the ethical debate
surrounding biotechnology or the argument over the anthropic
principle* in cosmology, it's as if I have a red-horned skeptic
on one shoulder and a white-winged believer on the other, and
it's hard to know who to listen to.
In fact, in recent
years, thanks to the ambitions of two influential new scientific
disciplines, the attack from the science side seems to have
taken a somewhat more insistent turn. And this time, the target
is nothing less than our humanity itself.

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Main Entry:	anthropic principle¹
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	in cosmology, a principle saying that conditions that are observed in the universe confirm that the observer exists and is compatible with the observed conditions; also called weak anthropic principle
Etymology:	Greek anthropikos
Usage:	science

Main Entry:	anthropic principle²
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	in cosmology, a principle saying that the observability of the universe relies on and is constrained by the existence of intelligent life; also called strong anthropic principle
Etymology:	Greek anthropikos
Usage:	science