The Difference Between Faith and Science, we are told...
is that Science (the capital letter is essential) studies cold hard fact while religion is all about airy fairy speculation about things nobody has ever seen.
I always think of these dogmatic pronouncement when I run across things the International Journal of Astrobiology.
Astrobiology. For those of you who don't know: that's a science that has less actual data to work with than the Medical Bureau at Lourdes.
In fact, it has no actual data whatever. But that doesn't stop people who are confident that, any day now, the atheism of the gaps will confirm the deathless faith of some materialists which declares that this earth (and indeed this universe) is a dime a dozen and we can stop marveling at the glory of creation and the strong suggestion of You Know Who.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Scientism
Mark Shea:
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1 comment:
Science uses observable phenomena and repeatable experiments to create a communal understanding of the world. If someone has another opinion, they are free to test it.
Faith uses metaphor and analogy to explain an individual's experience which is not observable by other people. Faith can only be shared by appealing to someone else's individual experience. You cannot prove to someone that you're right and they are wrong, whereas with science you can, through the accepted neutral scientific method.
Sorry for the hit and run comment, but you seem like you might have a grasp on things, and kneejerk anti-scientism is something that should be fought with frank awareness of the terms.
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