The Centrality of Science and Absolute Values

The Centrality of Science and Absolute Values

Sun Myung Moon

The Fourth International Conference On The Unity Of The Sciences

November 27-30,1975

Waldorf Astoria Hotel

New York, New York

Founder's Address

Honorable Chairman, eminent scientists, respected professors and scholars . . . It is with the greatest pleasure that I extend my warmest welcome to all of you present today at this "International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences." We are deeply honored by your presence.

As many of you already know, this conference was initiated in November of 1972. We have made it an annual event and the second conference was held in November of the following year in Tokyo, the third conference in London, and we are now holding the fourth conference again here in America. I am especially grateful to those who have been present at the conferences each year. Your continued presence indicates that while you have been making intensive research in your specific fields, you have endeavored to apply your efforts to the common goal which is the welfare of all mankind.

 Today, in all fields people are prone to narrow their research to small and limited areas so that they tend to lose the overall purpose or the centrality of their subject. By doing so, they lose vitality which is produced and which functions only through the harmonious integration between the fields. They stray from the original motivation and purpose of science which is to bring about human happiness. In the extreme we even can find instances where people have destroyed their own happiness with their inventions.

The fragmentation of sciences is analogous to a body consisting of scattered cells having no life. When we examine the structure of the human body, there are millions of cells in an interrelated network making it possible for the body to function with vitality. In a human being there is the brain which is the central point and the subject from which the message and commands go through the spinal cord and nerve endings to reach every cell, thus making the millions of cells function harmoniously The eye, as is true with any part of the human body, has the individual purpose for the sake of the eye, while at the same time it serves the purpose of the whole body. Every part of the human body has a dual purpose. Therefore, pain in one cell, which is the basic unit of the human body, gives pain to the whole body; and conversely the health of each cell gives health to the whole body. Without a normal relationship and order among cells, a man will become sick.

I believe that the ideal structure or organization of any unit or group in human society should be like the structure of the human body Today's society, deprived of such relationship and order, is paralyzed and sick. Something is desperately wrong! Man, conscious of the chaos and confusion, is frustrated. The population explosion, pollution and exploited natural resources are not the only problems. The sickness of the society lies within the very essence of man's being.

Below: Reverend Sun Myung Moon giving Founder's Address

In order to deal with all these problems, man must have a clear and healthy mind so that he can function effectively What we need is not an industrial or technological revolution but a great revolution of human consciousness. The solution to social problems is not limited to the natural sciences but must be trans-disciplinary and influencing the areas of social science, the arts, religion, etc. The previously mentioned problems are not restricted to any one country. They are not those of one age but ultimately of human history, affecting the past, present and the future.

By going through this revolution of human consciousness man must be so led as to use the results of his research for the peaceful coexistence of all mankind in a very creative and productive way. Man's ideal can be realized only when he serves the individual purpose and the public purpose in complete harmony.

In the field of natural science, as in every other field of research, the immediate individual purpose must be attained along with the long term, broader purpose of integrating with other fields for the whole of mankind. Only then can we find the true meaning of the results of research.

In order to integrate all the specific fields of research, we are in need of a larger design or blueprint. In this way we may have a common ideal before us as we proceed to achieve this integration. The main purpose of this Conference on the Unity of the Sciences is for us to produce that blueprint. Permit me to offer some thoughts concerning that blueprint.

Man is aware that he has life within him because his mind which originates from a source of the highest dimension is not limited to space and time. That source may be called the cosmic mind or the first cause of all beings. Man must be able to understand the centrality of absolute value in the cosmos in order to give his life meaning.

By setting up a new world order where all mankind are brothers and sisters transcendent of national and racial boundaries and living as one human family we can enjoy the ideal world with true peace and happiness. In order to make such a reality, science must be evaluated from outside the realm of science. Science policy must be determined in consideration of society as a whole. We must not lose the very central point of the whole purpose: science is not for science itself but for the welfare of humanity. In other words, for the development of science to have meaning in man's everyday life, man must discuss and establish a standard of value in terms of the whole.

Science begins its research on visible and external things. However, science can also assist in understanding the frontiers of invisible or internal things of a spiritual dimension. Finally, the integration of the two realms should occur. Thus, we must be able to have a central point located in the external, visible world connected to the central point located in the metaphysical world of the highest dimension. Then, with the latter as the unchanging axis, the other will revolve around it for eternity in the action of give and take-giving absolute meaning and value to all things in space and time.

In conclusion, I sincerely hope that all of you here will freely present the results of your respective research, exchange opinions without reservation, and discuss common issues from a broad viewpoint embracing the whole purpose of the welfare of mankind. I believe you can observe, grasp and solve all the existing problems of human society if you utilize in a unified way the knowledge of your respective specialized fields. In this way the centrality of science and absolute values, in terms of the existing world, will be established and exalted.

I hope you will contribute without reservation to this vast project. Thank you.

Science and Absolute Values

Science and Absolute Values

Sun Myung Moon

Founder's Address

The Third International Conference On The Unity Of The Sciences

November 21-24,1974

Royal Lancaster Hotel

London, England

Honorable Chairman, distinguished scientists, eminent professors and scholars, I deeply welcome all of you who are attending the Third International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences sponsored by the International Cultural Foundation. As I am sure you are aware, two previous conferences have been held: the first in New York in November 1972, and the second in Tokyo in November 1973. As the founder of the International Cultural Foundation, I have desired and done my best to create and maintain, throughout these conferences, an atmosphere in which an open and unreserved exchange of opinions could take place. And I have been greatly pleased with the fruitful results of these conferences and the participants who have contributed so much to them.

At the present time, more and more serious problems continue to develop and confront mankind. The solutions to these challenging problems call for and indeed require not partial and local approaches and ideals, but rather a global approach and the wisdom and knowledge of the many distinguished scholars gathered here at this conference.

As a scientist myself, I have been observing with keen interest the development of science and technology. I know that science and technology and what we call the "scientific method" have had a far reaching impact on human life.

Through observation and study of the world of reality, science has extended and expanded this reality beyond what can be perceived by our physical senses. We are cognizant of bacteria, which we can detect only through a microscope. Some of us journey to the moon, directed by computers whose astronomical speed of calculation baffles the human mind, while others talk about making it an everyday possibility. To our naked eyes, the earth still appears flat, but science has compelled us to admit that it is round. A diamond appears to be solid but we were once amazed to know that in fact, it is a scattering of atoms whirling around in quite an empty space. On a more abstract level, the transition from reality to extended reality is described by the transition from classical to quantum mechanics and from the deterministic model to the probabilistic model, both of which are equally or more confusing to common minds.

Although the progress in science has provided us with a tremendous amount of information, we still suffer from our inability to internalize this information and our inability to fully comprehend its deeper implications. This inability has led to much anxiety, confusion and uncertainty, which results from a loss of a firm basis and standard of reflection. As a result, we feel that we are in a state of imbalance between ourselves and the suddenly expanded reality caused by scientific progress. Meanwhile, when we think of the strong probability of our finding in the spiritual world the answers to the disharmony and imbalance of the limited human function of thinking, it does not seem accidental that recently Zen and meditation and their practices have become controversial objects of scientific research in the West, as well as in the East, where they have so long been practiced and valued. The study of extrasensory perception has drawn the attention of quite a number of scholars in the academic community. In particular, the discovery that a dolphin can communicate with human beings intelligently deserves notice. Along the same lines, it has been observed that plants respond to the love and other emotional states of human beings. These discoveries suggest that our present view that the animal and plant worlds are lacking in consciousness and reason may be limited. We may now as well envision a universe in which a harmonious co-existence may be brought about between human beings and other creatures, where man, being the center of all things, may serve as the spokes of the wheel turning the whole universe in ultimate harmony and oneness.

Other items worthy of notice are the roles of the educator and the medical doctor which may be drastically affected by the ability of the computer to treat enormous amounts of information accurately and promptly. Some scientists have hinted that the future study of elementary particles and cosmology may alter our concepts of space and time.

A study conducted by the Club of Rome informs us of the potentially disastrous events in the near future due to pollution, population growth, scarcity of natural resources and rapid industrialization. Recently it has been found that ozone is on the decrease, caused by repeated nuclear testing. As you all know, the presence of ozone in the atmosphere is indispensably vital to the survival of life on the earth, since destruction of protein molecules does occur in the absence of the ozone layer.

Solutions to these problems cannot be arrived at through the efforts of scientists alone, nor by the efforts of any particular individual, group or country. The study of the Club of Rome, previously mentioned, clearly indicates the finiteness of the world's resources and environs, and also makes clear the absolute necessity of a global approach and cooperative effort for proper and complete solutions to the world's problems. These problems call for a world view, accompanied by an attitude of sacrifice and cooperation among all peoples of the world, transcending the interest of any one community or nation. Such a spirit of cooperation will be attained only when all mankind view themselves as members of the same human family This revolutionary change in human consciousness to such an ideology has long been needed and is vital to man's survival today.

In most educational systems in every nation of the world, the merit of competition and the survival of the fittest, achieved only by the winners in the competition, has been overly stressed. This has long been the plague undermining the healthy human endeavor to lead mankind into the world of peaceful co-existence by bringing them to be members of one human family Now mankind somehow has begun to feel that in educating people the emphasis should be shifted and cooperation be made vital for survival. In light of this viewpoint, the goals and philosophies of education will have to undergo a profound transformation.

In the past, we have recognized the contribution of science and technology to the enrichment of human life without deep reflection. Now we begin to wonder. Some disquieting questions come to mind. Are we happier? Are we ethically more sound? Are we becoming more humane with love and concern for one another? Answers to these questions are not found simply by analyzing statistical results because the human being has many aspects which are not discretely quantifiable. In any discussion of the quality of life, these non-quantifiable factors play a major role. As illustrations, let me cite love, the ideal, the joy of creating, belief in God, and numerous other value systems. The question of the preservation and development of these humane aspects of life remains the greatest theme of our research. In light of this theme the question of interpretation and proper use of the vast amount of information created through scientific research and discovery becomes a profound and serious one.

Our attitude which tends to overemphasize the value of science may need re-examination. A scientific truth is tentative-the truth in one generation being possibly denied in the next. Consistent results, derived from a model built on the basis of a limited phenomenon, constitute scientific truth. However, in the course of budding a model we go through the processes of idealization, simplification and approximation. As a consequence, we may have an approximated truth, and not the absolute truth. Science has grown so big that it sometimes seems beyond the realm of human beings.

Science should be gravely thorough and rigorous in determining facts, but in the process of utilizing the information and achievements, science should retain its position as one of the areas of human creativity. It should stay within the human realm so that it may be used and controlled and appreciated like the works of art and music.

When we reflect on the history of the human race, we see that there have been new frontiers in every era, some culminating in the development of literature, and others in the blossoming of medicine or the other sciences. Yet in the past, development of science and technology has been aimed mainly at the conquest and exploitation of nature.

Today this very science compels us to set up a new ethical standard. The new ethic should concern itself with the problems of love for nature and a re-examination of human values and the need for cooperation among human beings. It should attempt to set a new view of value and a new ethical norm which can bring about an ideal world of harmonious co-existence among all creatures on the earth.

The development of science and technology has certainly raised issues that invite us to reflect seriously on what is essential for us to remain human and to preserve humanity in our lives. I strongly believe that all this can be made possible only when every field of scientific technology is mobilized for the benefit of mankind and when a cooperative spirit of human activity is available on the part of the men who handle the scientific technology.

I ardently desire and expect the answers to come from you. This will surely be realized by assembling the results of your respective researches with your opinion and wisdom. From the very bottom of my heart I beg you to play the role of the bridge that will connect and lead the present world to the world of higher dimension and absolute value. Thank you for your attentive listening!

Modern Science and Mans View of Moral Values

Modern Science and Mans View of Moral Values

Sun Myung Moon

Modern Science and Moral Values

The Second International Conference On The Unity Of The Sciences

November 18-21,1973

The Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Japan

Closing Address

May I extend my heartfelt congratulations on the very successful Second International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences where today's great scientists are present. I feel greatly honored to have the opportunity of making some brief remarks at the close of this conference held in the most modern city of the Orient -- Tokyo, Japan.

First of all, my deepest admiration and gratitude go to the eminent professors of the executive committee who rendered such painstaking efforts to hold the conference and make it a success. Please allow me to express my profound respect and appreciation to this committee, who decided to adopt the subject of "Modern Science and Moral Values" as the theme of the conference, and especially to the professors who in response to the invitation have deeply researched on the respective topics that have been brought forth and discussed with positive enthusiasm.

Once again, I want to extend my deepest congratulations to and appreciation of this epoch making conference. I am going to express my views about the theme under the topic of "Modern Science and Man's View of Moral Values." I suppose that the conference adopted and handled the question of science and moral values because the situation in today's society urgently demands the handling of such issues which, I am sure, have been thoroughly discussed here. I think not only myself but also many other people have the impression that modern science now shows undesirable side effects even though it has so far contributed tremendously to promoting the welfare of mankind with unceasing and outstanding development. As I see it, men of today are losing their subjectivity over science and it looks as though man's ability to control scientific technology, which he himself has developed, is gradually being weakened. If this situation persists it would be difficult for us to guarantee against any undesirable situation which may arise in the near future.

The reason for man's loss of subjectivity is that science, by nature, is apt to allow scientists to exclude the questions of humanity and man's moral values in the process of scientific development. As time elapsed, science has gradually fractionated with each field becoming more and more specialized, inclining to be more analytical and materialistic, utterly ignoring the questions of morality or values. Thus, man's subjectivity and dominion over science began to be either weakened or lost. I am sure it is not erroneous to think that out of many possible motivations of scientific research the ultimate and most important one is no doubt to realize man's common welfare, prosperity and peace. Nevertheless, as the fields of science became more subdivided and the methods more analytical, its development deviated from the right direction which is towards a state of moral value in which man's common welfare can be guaranteed. Men originally expected and anticipated the common welfare and happiness of man, who is in the subject position over the environment. But on the contrary, scientific achievements have so far resulted in the improvement and development of the environment and new means of life which are in the object position to man. That is to say, while man's original desire was for science to achieve the welfare of man who is the subject, scientific achievements have appeared as the improvement and development of the environment which is the object. This unconformity and discrepancy between man's desire and scientific achievement finally caused the weakening or loss of mans subjectivity. However, it is desirable for science to deal with the question of man's subjectivity as well as the objective problems such as the improvement of the environment and the development of the means of life. My ardent wish is that all scientists develop their respective fields on the basis of a solid view of moral values thus exalting human dignity by adopting also the spiritual and unified method as well as the materialistic and analytical one. If we had created the climate of science centered on human dignity the formidable problem of pollution would have been prevented.

Here arises the question of man's original image, that is, man's nature. My view is that man's original image is the harmonious oneness between his mind and body. The original man should be a being of unity and harmony between his spirit and body centered on the purpose of goodness or value. I view the original character of science as embodying in unity the two sides of spirit and body resembling man. This means that science should assume a unified character dealing also with the field of moral value. It may be appropriate to call this synthesized science "Cultural Science" However, in order for science to handle this view of moral value, another question of what should be the standard of value appears. In general, the standard of value has changed according to age and environment. There is a vast difference between the standard of value in the ancient times and that of the modern age. And again the standard of value in the Orient differs from that of the Occident. Therefore, to establish a true standard of value for the common benefit and welfare of all mankind we cannot but set up as the standard some universal and absolute element that can apply at any time and any place. The establishment of this absolute standard signifies the establishment of a new view of moral value. 'Me essence of this absolute standard should be the love which makes the basis of the ethics of the family system. This is because the true love in the ethical relationship of the family is an absolute love-agape love-which emits heartwarming joy to all mankind just as the sun emits its light to all creation. And this love alone has never changed through history whether in the East or West. At this point we can think of the one absolute being who is the only subject of this absolute love. I believe it is most desirable for this absolute being to become the ultimate standard of the new view of value.

In my view, this absolute being is not at all any conceptual being but rather a substantial entity which has hitherto revealed Himself throughout human history. We know that in history many sages and saints including so many religious leaders have appeared in different times and in different places. These people, without exception, appealed to the human conscience and heart urging the practice of love. When men responded and followed their teachings the people and nations enjoyed peace and prosperity but when they were obstinate they fell into confusion or decline. Even today the whole of mankind is in confusion and chaos waiting either consciously or unconsciously for the appearance of modem sages and saints to realize this love. All these facts signify that history has developed in the direction to realize this love. Therefore we cannot but realize that in history there has been one central axis functioning consciously in a certain direction. I want to define this substantial being who has played the role of the axis as the "Absolute Being." We can see that behind the scenes of human history this Absolute Being has planned to establish the world of moral values by actualizing the love through the saints, righteous men and conscientious leaders. Accordingly my conclusion is that if the whole of mankind will accept this Absolute Being as the axis of human history the world of moral values will be realized without difficulty.

Lastly I extend my heartfelt wishes that the wonderful presentation of your research and discussions at this conference will produce epoch making results to contribute to the true peace and prosperity of mankind. Thank you very much.

The Role of Unified Science in the Moral Orientation of the World

The Role of Unified Science in the Moral Orientation of the World

Sun Myung Moon

Moral Orientation of the Sciences

The First International Conference On The Unity Of The Sciences

November 23-26,1972

Waldorf Astoria Hotel

New York, New York

To be happy is man's insuppressible desire and ideal.

During the past several thousand years of man's cultural history, there has been no man who did not have this ideal of happiness.

The ideal has never matched the reality, but man has constantly tried to achieve this ideal in his life. In this way, great progress has been made in every field of human culture, politics, economics, society, religion, science and so forth.

As you know, man has established a highly developed, affluent society which can not even be compared to those of ancient or medieval times, and there is no doubt that science has been the decisive factor in this development. If science had not developed, economic prosperity such as we have today could not have occurred.

This fact shows that the majority of scientists have made the realization of a happy, ideal society their mission. That is, scientists have developed science and technology with a keen sense of mission to actualize the dreams of mankind. Sometimes the results of scientific research have been misused by men of power for unrighteous purposes, but still the fundamental spirit of scientists has aimed towards the fulfillment of an ideal society for man.

In this way, the purpose of science is to realize man's dreams. But in the past, even when science made great strides, these couldn't always be immediately used to better all mankind because of national and racial barriers.

This indicates that some people insisted on national boundaries for science. But actually science should belong to all mankind and not be monopolized by any particular nation or bloc.

This reminds us however that many scientists with a strong sense of mission fought against the unrighteous forces which ignored its original purpose and hindered the realization of the true ideal society.

Among all the scientists there may also have been a few who forgot the spirit of serving mankind because they became too involved in their own immediate interests. Nonetheless, the basic attitude of most scientists was to contribute to the peace and prosperity of all mankind.

In science there are many fields, but there is not one single field which does not aim at the realization of human happiness. Physics, chemistry, medicine, biology, geology, astronomy, and all other scientific fields have the same purpose. Of course, in the past several centuries science has been divided and specialized into many small fields by its analytic method, but recently a new and hopeful trend is appearing to consolidate and unify all this fragmented knowledge by the synthetic method. The emergence of Unified Science is a conspicuous example of this tendency

Despite its many divisions, up to the present time science has worked towards one goal, one direction. Each specialized field has worked for the realization of a happy world in its own particular way, and there is no doubt that it will continue towards the same goal in the future.

Yet when we look at the present world situation there are many deplorable conditions. Despite the development of science and the prosperity of the economy, there are still many tragic situations throughout the world.

Despite scientists' deep desire and diligent efforts, poverty, illiteracy, and disease still prevail in the advanced countries; tensions, wars, and hostilities continue among nations. Thus mankind continues to suffer from sorrow, distress, and pain even in the midst of our luxuriously developed countries.

Many leaders are trying to eliminate this misery and to establish true peace and stability, but the world is filled with empty words of peace, and mankind is sinking deeper and deeper into restlessness, anxiety, and fear.

How has this come about? The main reason is that the standard of value which regulates mans behavior has been undermined. As ethics and morality have lost their power, the standard of goodness has all but disappeared.

Now I am going to explain why. No one can deny that every creature, including man, is a unified being with two natures-a material nature and a mind-like nature. Man is the unified being of body and mind; animals are the unified beings of body and instinct; plants are the unified beings of matter and directive life; and inorganic bodies are the unified beings of matter and directive energy.

From the standpoint of ontology, the cosmos is a world of effect and it must therefore have an ultimate cause. Materialism says this ultimate cause is matter and idealism insists that it is spirit. However, because the world of effect is made of unified beings with two natures, the cause must also be a monistic being with the potential of the two natures of matter and mind unified into one.

Now I have stated that the world both God and man desire is the unified world in which creativity and love are practiced. In this world the desire of both God and people will be fulfilled, but to practice love man must first find the center of love.

To practice love, a norm must be set up because a true life of love requires order. In a society where order has been destroyed a life of love can not be practiced in harmony. That is to say a life of love needs order and for order a norm is required. "Norm" means laws and principles which regulate mans behavior, and these are morality and ethics. Therefore to have a good life centered on love, man must set up sound morals and ethics, and must practice them.

The morals and ethics which apply to the unified world must be clear and applicable to modern man. The reason why past morals and ethics have been undermined lies partly in modern man's tendency towards materialism, but it also comes from the fact that the standards of value no longer satisfy modern man's reasoning capacity. From this the establishment of new morals and ethics based on the new standard of value becomes inevitable.

Then how can this new standard of value be set up? It can only come from an elevated, unified system of thought which can unify all the past philosophies and religious doctrines.

All the philosophies and religions of the past had their own views of value each with strong points which are still beneficial. But people have nearly left them behind because these views could not adjust to the coming new age. Therefore, to establish the new view of value, we must absorb all the strong points of past views of value and develop new values which can meet the needs of modern man.

Thus a new unified thought system must appear to unify all the past philosophies and religions of their respective ages. When the new morals and ethics emerge from the unified thought system, the unified world of goodness will be created for the first time. The moral orientation of the world, then, the very theme of this conference, means spreading this new view of value world-wide in order to build the new unified world.

In conclusion, I'd like to say more about the role of Unified Science. First, I am very grateful to the organizers of this conference for their efforts to synthesize the subdivided fields of scientific knowledge.

The divisive specialization of science, just like the dismantling of a machine, ultimately paralyzes the unitary function of the whole, and keeps science from fulfilling its mission. But here, today, some pioneering scientists are attempting to systematically integrate and unify the truths of past scientific discoveries into a new system of philosophical science. I think this is a noteworthy event, deserving high praise. It corresponds to the historical emergence of the new system of unified thought which unifies all past philosophies and religions and establishes a new view of value for the modern age. As I previously pointed out, the main mission of science is to improve man's material life. I expect Unified Science will contribute with a new effectiveness to that end.

However, just as the original man is a unified being of spirit and body, true social life unites both the spiritual and material, and the ideal world unites love and creative action. Therefore, the true world of happiness cannot be realized by the improvement of material life alone. By this we can come to the conclusion that Unified Science must unite with Unified Thought in order to accomplish its mission. When this unification is accomplished, the longstanding problem of uniting Science and Religion will be resolved and finally the unified world of prosperity, happiness, and goodness will be established. "The old systems and thoughts" will pass away, and the ideal unified world with new age systems and thoughts will be established on earth.

In other words, the ultimate cause must be an absolute unified being with two natures which can create the attributes of mind and matter respectively Only from a unified and monistic cause can a unified world of effect be brought about. That is, the unified effect must have a unified monistic being as its cause.

Therefore we must say that materialism which takes matter as the fundamental cause of the universe is incorrect. The cause cannot be matter, for matter is an expression of only one of the attributes of the cause. This cause existed as non-matter prior to its expression in matter.

Man is also a unified being brought about by the unified cause. Consequently, man cannot be considered only material being or only spiritual being. Therefore, the improvement of physical life alone can not create happiness. Only by improving both the spiritual and physical life at the same time can true happiness be brought about.

Science has put its efforts into improving material life because its domain was limited to the material world.

Therefore, in spite of the hard work and deep desire of scientists, mankind has not been able to escape distress and chaos.

Here we can conclude that scientists must participate in the reformation of spiritual life in order to secure the true happiness of mankind and to protect the precious work accomplished so far by scientists. The reformation of spiritual life means creating a world of goodness, that is, a society of new morality, by establishing a new standard of value.

Then how can we create the spiritual reformation? For this we must set up a standard of goodness, and to determine goodness we must decide the center of love. This is because goodness is the practice of love. Then what can be the center of love?

It must be God who is unique, eternal, and unchanging being existing before the formation of the cosmos. Love is the flow of heart-the outpouring of deepest heart. Therefore, the essence of God is heart. God is the unified being which is the fundamental cause of the cosmos dealt with in ontology. The formation of the cosmos by this fundamental cause is simply the creation of the cosmos by God.

Then how could God create the cosmos and man? God could do it because God has heart. And where there is heart, life appears; where there is life, development and creation can take place. For creation there must always be purpose. This is because heart directs towards purpose. The purpose of creation could only be joy, which fulfills the desire of heart. This joy comes when the creation, especially man, comes to resemble God. God's goal of creation is to have man and the world of happiness -- the Kingdom of Heaven -- reflecting the love and creativity of God. The love and creativity of God relate to mind and matter respectively We know this is true from the fact that mans ideal is actually to seek after such a man and world.

The ideal is the world which was originally given to man as his home. The fact that man seeks a joyful world as his ideal means a joyful world is the one God planned for man. Such a world reflects God's love and creativity and thus becomes joyful.

Through our amazing scientific progress we have begun to take after God's creative power, but not yet his love. In order to take after his love, we must practice love, and lead a life of goodness. Man should make God, who is the subject of love, the center of his standard of goodness. Since God is both the center and essence of all things, his love is unchanging and everlasting even though his creation, the phenomenal world, is transitory.

Therefore when we take God as our standard of goodness, absolute value can be established, and then the eternal world of peace and happiness will be realized.

Since the ideal world is the realization of God's purpose of creation and is the world which reflects God, man always seeks to have a harmonious and peaceful life filled with God's love and also to improve his environment by creating new things continually.

Here creation does not mean mere production, but rather all the creative actions such as originating new ideas, planning, improving and producing.

Since God is a unified being, man and social life should also be unified. This means man must love while he lives a creative life, and he must live a creative life while he loves. Such a man is the unified man and the world he lives in is the unified world. As repeatedly mentioned, man has come to reflect God's creativity through outstanding scientific progress, but so far has not learned His love. So this world is still filled with sorrow, pain, and distress.

Since harmony is the essential nature of love, harmony cannot exist where there is no love; likewise, peace and happiness cannot exist where there is no harmony. Thus mankind's present suffering continues because of the lack of love.

Therefore, it is natural that both God and man have been longing for the ideal life and world which would resemble God. In other words, the ideal man which God and the original mind of man seek is a creative and good man practicing God-centered love. The ideal world is the world ftfled with creative actions to improve the environment and would be filled with love between individuals and between nations. When this new type of person comes to live in this new unified world, all the sorrows, pains and hostilities which have plagued man throughout history will be eliminated forever.

The original man and world should have been good, resembling God's nature, but to date man and the world have been evil and have not reflected God. This is because man and the world have not been realizing their original nature. Therefore, to save present mankind from his distress and chaos, we have to restore the original state of man and the world and manifest it in our actual life. For this we have to find out the absolute standard of goodness and must practice the life of goodness. The standard of goodness is the center of love, which is God.

The fact that all mankind is struggling so hard to escape the reality of pain and chaos, and is longing for peace and freedom, shows that man's original mind is seeking the standard of goodness and the center of love. To find the center of love and to establish the eternal world of happiness on earth is the universal desire of all mankind.

Introduction to the Founder

by Richard L. Rubenstein

Robert O. Lawton Professor of Religion

Florida State University

Tallahassee, USA

Greetings and welcome to our most honored guests from all over the world! It is my privilege to introduce the founder of ICUS, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, to the participants and observers of the Tenth ICUS, the first to be held in his native land. I am by vocation a theologian and an historian of religion. As you will understand, my vocation gives me a very special reason for a keen interest in the founder and his church. I hope, therefore, that you will permit me to share with you some of my thoughts concerning this man.

As students of society have long understood, it is impossible for human beings to transform their tools without changing the way they educate their young, the way they live and work together, and the ways in which they find meaning in their existence. Moreover, in our own age, there has been only one truly permanent revolution: I do not refer to the political revolutions of either the right or the left but the worldwide revolution of science and technology, with all of the awesome social and cultural transformations that revolution has brought into being. This very meeting itself has been made possible by the revolution. And, it is no accident that this meeting is sponsored by a religious institution, the Unification Church, that has distinguished itself by its concern for the human consequences of the technological revolution, for humanity's great repositories of meaning through times of both stability and discontinuity have historically been religious traditions.

Moreover, the Unification Church is a new religion, something that can both surprise and disturb most Western-trained scholars and scientists. There is in the West a certain duality of consciousness that can give honor to religiously-inspired figures only as long as they are safely separated from us by long stretches of time. When, however, we are confronted with persons of intense and authentic religious inspiration in the present, we tend to use psychological and even ethical categories to reduce the significance of or negate their inspiration altogether. We have a rage for order and predictability, at least in matters religious. We are fearful when confronted with anyone whose spirit would disturb the order we crave. Nevertheless, our rage for order is destined to prove illusory if we do not take seriously and heed the inspired religious leaders of our time, for, as we have noted, we do not live any longer in an ordered and a secure world, but in a time of permanent discontinuity and revolution. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the two Asian countries that have been most affected by the technological revolution, Japan and Korea, have witnessed an extraordinary proliferation of new religions in response to the crisis of modernization and technology. Fortunately, the spirit of radical secularization has not corroded the wellsprings of religious inspiration in Asia as it has in the West.

It is of crucial importance that we understand our founder, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, as coming from a land in which the wellsprings of religious inspiration have not dried up. Yet, religious inspiration by itself is insufficient. What our age requires are men and women of genuine religious vision and even daring, who are capable of inspiring and energizing others, and who, at the same time, are capable of confronting constructively the long-range, worldwide significance of our permanent revolution.

It is in this perspective that I see the Reverend Moon as a religious leader of preeminent significance. I must confess that many in my generation who were, for example, students of the last great Western theologians, Karl Barth and Paul Johannes Tillich, aspired to be the kind of religious leaders that technological civilization required, but as scholars trained in the methods of Western rationalism, the best that we could accomplish was to become interpreters of other men's inspiration. We could never become what the Reverend Moon is, a man of genuine inspiration capable of infusing others with his inspiration. With his unique gifts, he has united the private and the public dimensions of religious life and concern, as he has daringly and imaginatively utilized the very power of technology to serve as a force for healing the ruptures in the individual and the body public created by that revolution. Instead of retreating within the history and tradition of his nation in the face of the technological revolution, he has sought to utilize the histories, traditions and experiences of all people both Eastern and Western, to foster a new vision of the spiritual unity of mankind. This too is in keeping with the spirit of our times, for technology is destined eventually to unify mankind one way or another; either by the total annihilation of die opposing other or by the achievement of a worldwide unity based upon a new foundation of shared values and inspiration. That foundation can only be religious, and it is to that end that our founder has given himself.

As we gather together as guests of our founder in his native land to hear his message, it is my very great honor to present him to you, the most honored and revered teacher, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon.

November 9,1981

Sejong Cultural Center

Seoul, Korea

Preface

The Reverend Sun Myung Moon is, I believe, the world's record holder for the sheer number and duration of sermons, lectures and speeches given in one lifetime. From the earliest days of his public ministry in Korea, he would speak continuously for hours to small groups of disciples. Often, he would lead his followers to the seashore or the peak of a mountain, to inspire them with words of spiritual guidance and teachings of the Divine Principle. In time, his regular public sermons attracted hundreds and thousands of people, from the most humble farmers, fishermen and common laborers, to the most distinguished clergy, scholars, public officials and professionals In 1975, the Reverend Moon climaxed his awesome record with a speech before 1.2 million people! Indeed, today there is no place on earth where his words have not reached.

The Reverend Moon's tireless dedication has been to the teaching of the Ideal of God and its practice, In his view, the Hope of God and religion is the salvation of the world from a pernicious evil in history and society, moreover, in the very substance of human existence. He has repeatedly emphasized that the path to recovery must be found in a revolution of human consciousness, far more fundamental than an industrial or technological revolution. Significantly, then, he has exerted himself to the fullest to make his views known among scientists, scholars and religious leaders, and to take the lead in accomplishing the historical mission of man's restoration.

In the early 1960's when the Unification Church was financially very poor, the Reverend Moon was yet able to initiate a significant Interfaith Movement. In 1968, he founded the International Cultural Foundation, Inc. to support various scholarly and cultural activities. For the past ten years, world-renowned scientists and scholars have been gathering at the annual International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences, also founded by the Reverend Moon, to bring forth a harmony among the sciences and to seek a bright future for all mankind by establishing the true basis of value.

In extending my personal greetings to you, it is my sincere wish that through this collection of ICUS Founder's Addresses, the thought and Ideal of The Reverend Sun Myung Moon will be widely disseminated and practiced.

November 8,1982

Chung Hwan Kwak
Vice-Chairman, International Cultural Foundation, Inc.

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