--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can we find spiritual meaning in a…" description: "\"How can we find spiritual meaning in a scientific worldview? Spirituality is a way of being in the world, a sense of one’s place in the cosmos, a relat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/michael-shermer-2567_awe_how-can-we-find-spiritual-meaning-in-a-s_1609970.jpg" --- # How can we find spiritual meaning in a scientific… ![“How can we find spiritual meaning in a scientific worldview? Spirituality is a way of being in the world, a sense of one’s place in the cosmos, a relationship to that which extends beyond oneself. . . . Does scientific explanation of the world diminish its spiritual beauty? I think not. Science…” quote by Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/michael-shermer-2567_awe_how-can-we-find-spiritual-meaning-in-a-s_1609970.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/michael-shermer-2567_awe_how-can-we-find-spiritual-meaning-in-a-s_1609970.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/michael-shermer-2567_awe_how-can-we-find-spiritual-meaning-in-a-s_1609970.jpg) > “How can we find spiritual meaning in a scientific worldview? Spirituality is a way of being in the world, a sense of one’s place in the cosmos, a relationship to that which extends beyond oneself. . . . Does scientific explanation of the world diminish its spiritual beauty? I think not. Science and spirituality are complementary, not conflicting; additive, not detractive. Anything that generates a sense of awe may be a source of spirituality. Science does this in spades. (158-159)” [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science and spirituality can coexist; scientific insight can evoke awe, enriching spiritual meaning rather than diminishing it. **In simple terms:** Science can inspire awe, supporting spirituality. Key Takeaway Seek wonder in scientific discovery. Themes science spirituality wonder complementarity Mood curious inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - education - personal reflection - public talks - media interviews Key Concepts cosmology human experience meaning-making Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate awe through scientific learning? - What practices help integrate scientific and spiritual perspectives? A Different Perspective Science may not address personal existential questions directly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awe/) [Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Explanation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanation/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-spirituality-1318956/) [Source](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/source/) [Spades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spades/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-beauty/) [Spiritual Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-meaning-755118/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Spirituality Complementary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality-complementary-6138131/) [Spirituality Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality-science-1024180/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Worldview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worldview/) [Worldview Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worldview-spirituality-6138132/) ## Related quotes > [There are many sources of spirituality; religion may be the most common, but it is by no means the only. Anything that generates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/there-are-many-sources-of-spirituality-religion-may-be-the-most/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [To recover a spiritual tradition in which creation, and the study of creation, matters would be to inaugurate new possibilities between spirituality and science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/to-recover-a-spiritual-tradition-in-which-creation-and-the-study-of/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [Spirituality as a science, as a study, is the greatest and healthiest exercise that the human mind can have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/spirituality-as-a-science-as-a-study-is-the-greatest-and-healthiest/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I'm just recommending you find other things to base your spirituality on, rather than where science is yet to tread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-m-just-recommending-you-find-other-things-to-base-your-spirituality/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Spirituality is the science of the Soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/spirituality-is-the-science-of-the-soul/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Spirituality is the science that teaches us how to achieve peace of mind and supreme satisfaction. Right now we are hankering after many, many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/spirituality-is-the-science-that-teaches-us-how-to-achieve-peace-of/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [Only work which is the product of inner compulsion can have spiritual meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/only-work-which-is-the-product-of-inner-compulsion-can-have-spiritual/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [ the spiritual meaning of every situation \[is\] not what happens to us, but what we do with what happens to us and who we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-spiritual-meaning-of-every-situation-is-not-what-happens-to-us/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“The punishment pronounced by God has also a spiritual meaning. Indeed, God’s decree respecting man’s punishment is as truly fulfilled in a spiritual as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-brianchaninov/the-punishment-pronounced-by-god-has-also-a-spiritual-meaning-indeed/) [Ignatius Brianchaninov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-brianchaninov/) > [The mountain is not something eternally sublime; it has a great historic and spiritual meaning to us. It stands for us as the ladder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-smuts/the-mountain-is-not-something-eternally-sublime-it-has-a-great/) [Jan Smuts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-smuts/) > [Lives with no more sense of spiritual meaning than that provided by shopping malls, ordinary television, and stagnant workplaces are barren lives indeed. Spirituality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/lives-with-no-more-sense-of-spiritual-meaning-than-that-provided-by/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [The spiritual meaning of love is measured by what it can do. Love is meant to heal. Love is meant to renew. Love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-spiritual-meaning-of-love-is-measured-by-what-it-can-do-love-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is a spiritual meaning of all human acts and earthly events. … It is the business of man to find the spiritual meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-widtsoe/there-is-a-spiritual-meaning-of-all-human-acts-and-earthly-events-it/) [John A. Widtsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-widtsoe/) > [Spirituality is when we can't explain everything in life, totally. So, we have a spiritual meaning for it; we don't know why we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-kuti/spirituality-is-when-we-can-t-explain-everything-in-life-totally-so/) [Femi Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/femi-kuti/) > [When traveling is made too easy and comfortable, its spiritual meaning is lost. This may be called sentimentalism, but a certain sense of loneliness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/when-traveling-is-made-too-easy-and-comfortable-its-spiritual-meaning/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) ## More by Michael Shermer > [I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-m-a-skeptic-not-because-i-do-not-want-to-believe-but-because-i-want/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“According to Dembski, for example, “scientific creationism has prior religious commitments whereas intelligent design does not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/according-to-dembski-for-example-scientific-creationism-has-prior/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [The first-cause and prime-mover argument, brilliantly proffered by St. Thomas Aquinas in the fourteenth century (and brilliantly refuted by David Hume in the eighteenth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/the-first-cause-and-prime-mover-argument-brilliantly-proffered-by-st/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“Mind is just a word we use to describe neural activity in the brain. No brain, no mind. We know this because if a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/mind-is-just-a-word-we-use-to-describe-neural-activity-in-the-brain/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Through no divine design or cosmic plan, we have inherited the mantle of life's caretaker on the earth, the only home we have ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/through-no-divine-design-or-cosmic-plan-we-have-inherited-the-mantle/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [I always accepted the libertarian position of minimum regulation in the sale and use of firearms because I placed guns under the beneficial rubric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-always-accepted-the-libertarian-position-of-minimum-regulation-in/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [If spirituality is the sense of awe and humility in the face of the creation, what could be more awesome and humbling than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/if-spirituality-is-the-sense-of-awe-and-humility-in-the-face-of-the/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [We know evolution happened not because of transitional fossils such as A. natans but because of the convergence of evidence from such diverse fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/we-know-evolution-happened-not-because-of-transitional-fossils-such/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“Yet basically, libertarians are for freedom and liberty for individuals, while recognizing that in order to be free we must also be protected. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/yet-basically-libertarians-are-for-freedom-and-liberty-for/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Scientists like Bjorn Lomborg in The Skeptical Environmentalist have, in my opinion, properly nailed environmental extremists for these exaggerated scenarios.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/scientists-like-bjorn-lomborg-in-the-skeptical-environmentalist-have/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [When religious believers invoke miracles and acts of creation ex nihilo, that is the end of the search for them, whereas for scientists, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/when-religious-believers-invoke-miracles-and-acts-of-creation-ex/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Darwin matters because evolution matters. Evolution matters because science matters. Science matters because it is the preeminent story of our age, an epic saga…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/darwin-matters-because-evolution-matters-evolution-matters-because/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [What can be more soul shaking than peering through a 100-inch telescope at a distant galaxy, holding a 100-million-year-old fossil or a 500,000-year-old stone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/what-can-be-more-soul-shaking-than-peering-through-a-100-inch/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Skepticism is not a position that you stake out ahead of time and stick to no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/skepticism-is-not-a-position-that-you-stake-out-ahead-of-time-and/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“Neuroscientist David Comings drew out the larger implications of such hallucinations for the relationship between our rational and spiritual brains: The psychedelic drugs like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/neuroscientist-david-comings-drew-out-the-larger-implications-of-such/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) [Explore all 160 Michael Shermer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) ## More Awe quotes > [Because I've never had any higher education of any sort, I've never held in awe those who have had it or have a sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/because-i-ve-never-had-any-higher-education-of-any-sort-i-ve-never/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. 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But if there was any woman made for me … it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/i-know-you-deserve-better-than-me-you-think-i-don-t-know-that-but-if/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [There are certain scenes that would awe an atheist into belief without the help of any other argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gray/there-are-certain-scenes-that-would-awe-an-atheist-into-belief/) [Thomas Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gray/) > [As we contemplate with reverence and awe how our Savior embraces us, comforts us, and heals us, let us commit to become His hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/as-we-contemplate-with-reverence-and-awe-how-our-savior-embraces-us/) [Dieter F. 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Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [“Oftentimes we call Life bitter names, but only when we ourselves are bitter and dark. And we deem her empty and unprofitable, but only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/oftentimes-we-call-life-bitter-names-but-only-when-we-ourselves-are/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [The laws of nature are the skeleton of the universe. They support it, give it shape, tie it together. Taken as a whole, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-trefil/the-laws-of-nature-are-the-skeleton-of-the-universe-they-support-it/) [James Trefil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-trefil/) > [When you look at yourself and feel dissatisfaction about any part of you, you will continue to attract feelings of dissatisfaction, because the law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/when-you-look-at-yourself-and-feel-dissatisfaction-about-any-part-of/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [“What can we make of the inexpressible joy of children? 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