Yeah…as long as religion is willing to be as tentative as is science, then all will be well. In science one must be willing to discard one’s ideas if better explanations come along…
Science always admits when they are wrong.
It’s like parting the Red Sea when religion admits they’re wrong.
I don’t see how two completly differant forms of thinking can get along in society.
Joshua’s comment is delightfully ironic. Hmmm. Now how WAS that darned red sea parted? Was it parted at all? I suppose another way to make that comment is “It’s like pulling a camel through the eye of a needle to get religions to admit they’re wrong!”
But of course the religious believe that Religion HAS been wrong in the past, and accepted it. It’s just that NOW its not wrong.
Most religious people I have met are happy to discuss their uncertanty about certain things. (thats why they go to prayer groups and church). It’s the BIG IDEA of religion that they cannot let go of.
In some ways science has a similar attitude. Individual theories may be wrong but the theory that “the scientific method works” is one many people would be very unwilling to let go of.
Since it’s a theory it can never the proved (only disproved) and accepting it as fact is a leap of Faith.
P.S. I am a hardcore agnost/atheist but I can never let a discussion go unchallenged. I like Feynmans idea of a bet as a way of testing a theories likelyhood of being disproved. I can concede a tiny chance that god exists. But I am willing to bet: my eternal soul AGAINST the joy of living as an atheist for one lifetime.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:07 am
Yeah…as long as religion is willing to be as tentative as is science, then all will be well. In science one must be willing to discard one’s ideas if better explanations come along…
October 25th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Science always admits when they are wrong.
It’s like parting the Red Sea when religion admits they’re wrong.
I don’t see how two completly differant forms of thinking can get along in society.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 am
But religion is never wrong. It’s all part of His ingenious plan. Of which we no nothing. Well, us atheists anyway.
December 8th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Joshua’s comment is delightfully ironic. Hmmm. Now how WAS that darned red sea parted? Was it parted at all? I suppose another way to make that comment is “It’s like pulling a camel through the eye of a needle to get religions to admit they’re wrong!”
This is fun. I could go on all day!
December 17th, 2010 at 9:00 am
But of course the religious believe that Religion HAS been wrong in the past, and accepted it. It’s just that NOW its not wrong.
Most religious people I have met are happy to discuss their uncertanty about certain things. (thats why they go to prayer groups and church). It’s the BIG IDEA of religion that they cannot let go of.
In some ways science has a similar attitude. Individual theories may be wrong but the theory that “the scientific method works” is one many people would be very unwilling to let go of.
Since it’s a theory it can never the proved (only disproved) and accepting it as fact is a leap of Faith.
P.S. I am a hardcore agnost/atheist but I can never let a discussion go unchallenged. I like Feynmans idea of a bet as a way of testing a theories likelyhood of being disproved. I can concede a tiny chance that god exists. But I am willing to bet: my eternal soul AGAINST the joy of living as an atheist for one lifetime.