September 04, 2005
Short Thought on Science and Religion
Well, the fall semester has started, and I’m taking two night classes this semester (statistics and microeconomics). This means that blogging is likely to be light — but then again, it was already light. I think I’m going to start treating this place less like a collection of thoroughly researched essays, and more like… well… a blog. Which means shorter posts of quick thoughts.
For example, this whole debate on Intelligent Design. This is basically a quick thought I mentioned to Rich Thomas at a recent Giants-Phillies game. Anyway, I consider myself an agnostic, so maybe there’s something I’m not understanding, but I just don’t get why some religious people seem to be so threatened by science. The two are not in conflict:
Science seeks to figure out how the universe works.
Religion tells you why it works that way.
They supply answers to two completely different questions. Science explores how things work in our physical universe just to see what all of the rules are. It makes no attempt to figure out whether or not the rules were created by anybody — indeed, science has no way of determining that anyway.
If anything, the only field that religion ought to have a beef with is philosophy. So what’s the big deal about evolution? Why do they attack that area of science, but not quantum mechanics or the theory of gravity? I don’t get it. And really, science has absolutely nothing to say about matters of faith. It can no more disprove the existence of God than it could disprove the existence of The Flying Spaghetti Monster. And it doesn’t even seek to try.
Not surprisingly, Intelligent Design is not science. It does not come up with theories and verify them empirically, and indeed, it makes no attempt to do so. That doesn’t mean it isn’t true, but that you shouldn’t be teaching it in a science course. Teach it in a religious studies course instead — preferably a comparative religion course which will “expose people to different schools of thought.”
So I just don’t get what the issue is. I guess maybe the real issue is not between religion and science, but between organized religion and science. I’ve long considered most churches to be primarily political entities, not spiritual ones, and a political entity might see science as a threat to its power and influence.
September 04, 2005 04:14 PM in Philosophy | PermalinkI totally agree with you. The individual religion is threatened by anyone and anything that gives an alternative to its dogma because losing the believers means losing power. One of my colleageus is a member of the Rosicruceans - they look at religion from a scientific point of view. Very interesting person to talk to .
I also find it interesting that so many people are spending thoughts right now about religion and spirituality. I myself do that and it is reflected in my writings. Maybe the war or maybe the fact that a German became Pope triggered my interest, don’t know. I currently research for my second novel, my family history in which one of my ancestors got burned as the last witch of Germany. I miss about hundred years of documented information out of almost three hundred years of data. This is why I write it as fiction - I have to fill in where the data gets unclear, undocumented or only delivered orally through generations. As deeper I dig, as farther I get away from organized religion.
Ha, that’s a coinkeedinkee. We were just at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum a couple of weeks ago (pictures here). We were reading a little bit about the Rosicrucians, and it does sound interesting.
Personally, I hadn’t noticed any uptick in religion or spirituality, but then again, I’m pretty oblivious to a lot of things. Dang, I’m still working on the first novel — but hey, it also involves religion! A rather smart-alecky approach to it, though.
Yeah, I think my opinion of organized religion was strongly influenced by Frank Herbert’s Dune, which depicted it as a tool to manipulate the weak. Then again, I’m rather cynical in general.
Posted by fling93 at 09/19/05, 07:11 PM (link)