I definitely think there’s a strain of dogmatism in science. We need to be careful. Science is not the Truth, it’s a method for producing accurate predictions. We accumulate evidence until the predictions seem overwhelmingly likely, or not. At no point have we proven that things might not be completely different from what we imagine them to be, or that they won’t change. Science isn’t Truth, it’s just a method of finding the best answer up to that point.
Some people have to have their Truth and everything must be black or white. There’s nothing about science that supports this worldview, just as you say. However some religions formally do, while many more do in practice. Yet even atheists sometimes have this attitude. I’m guessing that there are a lot of religious behaviors that become instilled in cultures that are dominated by religious leaders, and that simply being reactionary on the point of religion is not enough to liberate the mind of them. People who are brought up to need a cult, will find a cult even if it does not involve religion. It seems they’ll even find cults where there aren’t actually cults, at least until they takeover and turn it into a cult.
Definite explanations are nice. However it is unhealthy to need one in a world full of unknowns. I consider that neuroticism a pathology and would like to understand its vectors.
Careful. Science is not the Truth, it’s a method for producing accurate predictions. We accumulate evidence until the predictions seem overwhelmingly likely, or not. At no point have we proven that things might not be completely different from what we imagine them to be, or that they won’t change. Science isn’t Truth, it’s just a method of finding the best answer up to that point.
Listen to the mainstream, not the mediastreams, don’t listen to the jackasses spewing transdimensional micro-wormholes – yet. There’s mystery in science, but that’s literally how we find the next-big-thing. When there’s mystery in religion, you are supposed to ignore it.
I definitely think there’s a strain of dogmatism in science. We need to be careful. Science is not the Truth, it’s a method for producing accurate predictions. We accumulate evidence until the predictions seem overwhelmingly likely, or not. At no point have we proven that things might not be completely different from what we imagine them to be, or that they won’t change. Science isn’t Truth, it’s just a method of finding the best answer up to that point.
And religion is not only a truth, it’s not a method of finding the truth either.
You’ve eloquently stated my position.
Some people have to have their Truth and everything must be black or white. There’s nothing about science that supports this worldview, just as you say. However some religions formally do, while many more do in practice. Yet even atheists sometimes have this attitude. I’m guessing that there are a lot of religious behaviors that become instilled in cultures that are dominated by religious leaders, and that simply being reactionary on the point of religion is not enough to liberate the mind of them. People who are brought up to need a cult, will find a cult even if it does not involve religion. It seems they’ll even find cults where there aren’t actually cults, at least until they takeover and turn it into a cult.
I think it’s also just hardwired into us. We want a definite explanation for things. That’s a big reason why we’re where we are as a species!
Definite explanations are nice. However it is unhealthy to need one in a world full of unknowns. I consider that neuroticism a pathology and would like to understand its vectors.
Listen to the mainstream, not the mediastreams, don’t listen to the jackasses spewing transdimensional micro-wormholes – yet. There’s mystery in science, but that’s literally how we find the next-big-thing. When there’s mystery in religion, you are supposed to ignore it.