"By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox" Galileo. One must also recognize that Science is fallible. This certainly does not detract from its value, however, we often forget that Science is a method of inquiry not an entity or dogmatic view. Scientists themselves will testify to the fact that it is a dynamic process of establishing new findings and refuting old “findings” with net forward movement.
Often it is the non-scientists who tend to cling to the notion of Science as the “be all end all”. One can be tempted to believe they are cut of the same cloth as people who trust wholly in articles because they start with the phrases “research shows” or “scientists say”. There is also a certain irony in people denouncing blind faith in religion by having blind faith in Science. Blind faith is never a legitimate argument. Perhaps as humans it is our subconscious desire to believe in a higher authority.
Somewhat controversially, one interpretation of religion is that it is a human way of ascribing meaning and explanation to the world and bettering humanity. I would say that this is also the character of science. Indeed Science and Religion have a shared history with a lot of early scientists being priests performing science as a way to learn about God’s creations and to glorify God. I use the word apotheosis in the title because of it’s religious connotations. My intention was to highlight the danger of giving divine status to Science. The Danger lies in deifying Science to the point where we run the risk of not questioning discovery and research like we should. Critical thinking and fostering a healthy skepticism should never be abandoned for the security of belief.
All this being said, after all our discoveries and human advancement , we still know very little. We’re all just on Carl Sagan’s pale blue dot suspended in a sun beam … trying to assign meaning to it all.
"What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what's going on."
Jacques Yves Cousteau
Often it is the non-scientists who tend to cling to the notion of Science as the “be all end all”. One can be tempted to believe they are cut of the same cloth as people who trust wholly in articles because they start with the phrases “research shows” or “scientists say”. There is also a certain irony in people denouncing blind faith in religion by having blind faith in Science. Blind faith is never a legitimate argument. Perhaps as humans it is our subconscious desire to believe in a higher authority.
Somewhat controversially, one interpretation of religion is that it is a human way of ascribing meaning and explanation to the world and bettering humanity. I would say that this is also the character of science. Indeed Science and Religion have a shared history with a lot of early scientists being priests performing science as a way to learn about God’s creations and to glorify God. I use the word apotheosis in the title because of it’s religious connotations. My intention was to highlight the danger of giving divine status to Science. The Danger lies in deifying Science to the point where we run the risk of not questioning discovery and research like we should. Critical thinking and fostering a healthy skepticism should never be abandoned for the security of belief.
All this being said, after all our discoveries and human advancement , we still know very little. We’re all just on Carl Sagan’s pale blue dot suspended in a sun beam … trying to assign meaning to it all.
"What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what's going on."
Jacques Yves Cousteau