Scientific knowledge is the highest attainment upon the
human plane, for science is the discoverer of realities. It is of two kinds:
material and spiritual. Material science is the investigation of natural
phenomena; divine science is the discovery and realization of spiritual
verities. The world of humanity must acquire both. A bird has two wings; it
cannot fly with one. Material and spiritual science are the two wings of human
uplift and attainment. Both are necessary -- one the natural, the other supernatural;
one material, the other divine. By the divine we mean the discovery of the
mysteries of God, the comprehension of spiritual realities, the wisdom of God,
inner significances of the heavenly religions and foundation of the law.
- ‘Abdu'l-Baha (From a talk given in Cambridge on May 23, 1912; ‘The Promulgation of Universal
Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States
and Canada in 1912’)
