Current World Affairs

1. Current World Affairs MahapanayaVidayalai An Affiliated Institute of MCU Semester I 2011 Part X

2. Buddhism and Modern Science Meaning of Science • The word science comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning knowledge. • Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge. This system uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural phenomena. Branches of Science • Pure vs Applied • Natural vs Social - Natural sciences, the study of the natural world, and- Social sciences, the systematic study of human behavior and society.

3. History of Science Ancient period • In prehistoric times, advice and knowledge was passed from generation to generation in an oral tradition. • Observation technique was used. • Pythagoras law was recorded 18the century BC. •  Ancient Egypt made significant advances in astronomy, mathematics and medicine. • Archimedes principle was discovered. • Mathematical knowledge was used in Indus valley civilization ( 4000 BC) • Brick structure 4:2:1 was used for stability. • Stainless steel was discovered in India. • From the earliest the Chinese used a positional decimal system on counting boards in order to calculate.

5. Medieval Period Nicolaus Copernicus presented the concept of solar system. Galileo Galilei invented telescope. Newton Formulated the theory of gravity (Newton’s law of gravit and laws of motion)

6. Modern Period 17the Century development was age of reason. Darwin’s theory of evolution. The behavior of electricity and mangnetism was studied by Faraday. Development of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Albert Einstein the concept of theory of relativity. Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Bohr and other developed quantum theories. Development Radar, Laser and Atomic Bomb.

7. History of Science • 3rd century BC: Eratosthenes calculated the size of the earth and its distance to the sun and the moon. • 2nd century BC: Ptolemy produced the geocentric model of the solar system. • 1543 Copernicus produced heliocentric model • 1609 Johannes Kepler produced two laws of planetary motion • 1610 Galileo Galilei used telescope to observe the universe. • 1676 Ole Romer first measurement of the speed of light • 1687 Newton: Laws of motion, law of universal gravitation • 1751 Benjamin Franklin: Lightning is electrical • 1778 Antoine Lavoisier and Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen • 1831 Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction • 1859 Charles Darwin: Theory of evolution by natural selection • 1865 Mendal’s laws of inheritance

8. 1873 James Clerk Maxwell: Theory of electromagnetism • 1896 Wihelm Conrad Rontgen discovers X-rays • 1905 Albert Einstein : Theroy of relativity • 1913 Niels Bohr: Model of the atom • 1915 Karl Schwarzxchild discovery of black holes • 1927 Georges Lemaitre: Theroy of the Big Bang • 1928 Paul Dirac: Quantum Mechanics • 1943 Oswald Avery proves that DNA is the genetic material of the Chromosome • 1997 Roslin Institute: Dolly the sheep was cloned • 2001: The first draft of human genome is completed • 2010: J. Craig Venter Institute creates the first synthetic bacterial cell.

10. Age of the Universe • Age of the universe could be easily understood according to Buddhist scripture fromthe following description. The first Buddha 'Vipassi' appeared in this world before 91 kalpa, and lived 80,000.years. The second Buddha 'Siqee' appeared before 61 kalpa and lived 70,000 years. Thethird Buddha 'Vessabu' appared before 31 Kalpa and lived 60,000 years. In this kalpafour Buddhas have appaered, 'Kakusanda', lived 40,000 years, 'Konagama', lived30,000 years, 'Kasyapa', lived 20,000 years and the last to appear was 'Gautama‘ will not have a long life span as people in the present epoch do not live more than 100years. (MahapadanaSutta-DeegaNikaya) 'The wonder that wasIndia' indicates in Chapter 7 that one kalpa is equal to 4.32 billion years. Accordinglythe first Buddha 'Vipassi' has appeard in this world 91 X 4.32 = 393.12 billion yearsago, the second Buddha 'Siqee' 61 X 4.32 = 263.52 billion years ago and the thirdBuddha 'Vessabu' 31 X 4.32 = 133.92 billion years ago. • .

11. The main achievement of the success of the twentieth century scientists in transcending the three dimensional barrier is acquiring a more realistic understanding of nature and natural phenomena. Twentieth century transcended science enables us to scientifically confirm that such concepts as impermanence, rebirth, telepathy and selflessness taught by the Buddha are true phenomena of nature which are beyond three spatial dimentions and therefore beyond classical science.

12. 1) Buddhism did not assert or depend upon the existence of a God 2) Buddhism was a superstition-free moral ideal; it conformed to the scientific view of an ordered universe ruled by law (Dharma)—a system both moral and physical where everything seemed to work itself out inexorably over vast periods of time without divine intervention (karma) 3) Buddhism posited no belief in gods who could alter the workings of this natural law 4) Buddhism was a religion of self-help with all depending on the individual working out his/her own salvation 5) Buddhism presented an attractive personal founder who led life of great self-sacrifice;

13. Quantum Physics • Wave and Particle Duality • Theory of Uncertainty • Quantum state are discrete • Complementary • Mereological Nihilism • (Form is Emptiness, dependency theory, illusion, nothing is permanent