ISSEP-2025-02
GRANT ID#: ISSEP-2025-02
GRANT TITLE: Can an understanding of the limits of scientific materialism and an introduction to systems theory increase existential meaning?
GRANTEE: University of British Columbia
PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR: Jessica Tracy
GRANT AMOUNT: USD $14,925
DURATION OF GRANT PROJECT: April 15, 2025 – May 30, 2026
Description of the Project
Executive summary:
As Becker wrote, modern humans live in a world that lacks meaning. Supporting this account, we recently found that a belief in the core philosophical principles of Western science, materialism and reductionism, is associated with a tendency to feel that one’s life is meaningless within the broader context of the universe (Tracy et al., 2024). Although Becker believed that the only viable response to this existential dilemma is to live in denial of reality, we argue that there may be an alternative. The belief that human life is meaningless results philosophical assumptions that have come to surround the scientific materialist worldview, but not from scientific data or facts. We plan to test whether a scientific worldview that includes an acknowledgment of the limitations of materialism and reductionism (e.g., the inadequacy of these approaches for explaining well-validated data that have emerged from fields such as quantum physics) along with a basic understanding of systems theory – which suggests that human lives can be fully understood only in the broader contexts within which they exist—may allow for a greater sense of existential meaning while retaining a naturalistic view of the universe.
This project will test whether a scientific worldview that includes an acknowledgment of the limitations of materialism and reductionism (e.g., the inadequacy of these approaches for explaining well-validated data that have emerged from fields such as quantum physics) along with a basic understanding of systems theory – which suggests that human lives can be fully understood only in the broader contexts within which they exist—may allow for a greater sense of existential meaning while retaining a naturalistic view of the universe. Stage 1 will develop a workshop and audio recording to cover: (a) how the current Western scientific worldview comes from Renaissance scholars like Sir Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes, who aimed to develop a scientific method that would allow humans to control the natural world and make accurate predictions about it, but not to understand humans’ place in the universe, (b) how empirical data from a range of disciplines, including quantum physics and the cognitive science of consciousness, defy the assumptions of materialism and reductionism, suggesting that these approaches are useful but limited, and (c) a systems theory approach to understanding the universe, and its implication that human lives must be viewed not as separate entities in an inert cosmos but intricately intertwined parts of a cosmos that is actively evolving. Stage 2 will randomly assign participants to one of four conditions: 1) exposure to the workshop and nature practice; 2) exposure to the workshop but not the nature practice; 3) exposure to the nature practice but not the workshop; or 4) exposure to an unrelated science workshop. Participants will complete measures of existential meaning—including coherence, purpose, and significance—as well as religious belief and religiosity, belief in scientific materialism, and spirituality of science.
Itemized budget:
Grant funding will cover the expenses detailed below:
Dr. Makridakis’ workshops. Airfare from North Carolina to Vancouver is estimated at $800, for a total of $2,400 across three visits. We will also cover 9 nights in a local hotel, for each day of workshop he leads, at $225/night for a total of $2,025. Total travel expenses are therefore $4,425.
Participant recruitment: 300 participants at $35 USD each, for a total of $10,500.
The total amount approved is USD $14,925.