Putting Away Childish Things

In two sections we trace the historical path taken by man in his attempt to understand 'what in the world is this all about'. The philosopher Hegal suggested that all advances require three steps: a thesis, an antithesis and a synthesis. Religion and science are major milestones in mankind's march toward maturity - a thesis and an antithesis that require a synthesis. Unlike Gould, who suggests that they can coexist in separate realms, we argue that both reside in the mind and a successful synthesis requires the world making a choice between childhood fantasies and ideas developed by a more mature mind. We first investigate how the concept of God entered our consciousness and in a similar manner explore the truths revealed by scientific investigations. We conclude with a tactic that eases mankind out of its childhood realm and into adulthood.