Hinduism is the oldest of the major world religions, and also apparently one of the most accepting of modern science and technology. It provides a central place to consciousness in its approach to reality, which explains why it has appealed both to scientists looking for a role of observers in physics and biology and also to those who have been critical of standard science for its emphasis on mechanistic explanations.

The origins of Hinduism are not found in a single individual, and its texts go back to antiquity in India. Within the tradition, it is called the Sanātana Dharma or Vedic Dharma (sanātana meaning eternal, veda meaning knowledge); the term Hindu originally referred to the inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent. The various sects of Hinduism take the Vedas (second millennium B.C.E., or perhaps a bit earlier), which are collections of hymns, to...