Who here agrees with me?

Question

I tend to believe that theories in science that are well tested and predict experimental data well are unfathomanble facts of the universe.
For example, evolution, general theory of relativity, quantum mechanics are all undeniable facts of the universe, and its futile to try and prove them wrong.

I also believe that everything in the universe is understanble through science.

Who agrees with me? disagrees with me? who thinks that there are things that happen that scientists can answer?

As you can see, science is my religion...

Answer 1

I am also a died-in-the-wool science lover ... but I disagree with a lot of your statements.

"theories in science that are well tested and predict experimental data well are unfathomanble facts of the universe."
No. They are neither "unfathomable" nor "facts." They are not unfathomable because they themselves are *explainable* by other, more basic theories. And they are not facts that no longer need to be questioned but are theories that are strong precisely because they are *constantly* questioned.

"... and its futile to try and prove them wrong." It is absolutely necessary to *try* and prove them wrong! That's what makes them strong! We use them to make predictions, that if wrong, would disprove the theory.

"I also believe that everything in the universe is understanble through science." That is more a statement of your own concept of the word "understand" than the word "science." I believe there are important questions (about morality and belief) that science cannot, and should not try to, answer. And I fully allow that we may someday arrive at a question for which we cannot form a satisfactory answer ... all our theories prove to be false.

I am quite content to say that science doesn't know, and never will know, everything ... as this gives me greater confidence in the things I know science *can* answer.

Answer 2

I think "undeniable facts of the universe" is a little strong for what is really just our best understanding so far. While none of these theories is apt to be totally discredited, they are bound to be amended as our understanding increases. I believe that science can continue to teach us new things about the universe, but unless we eventually become like that universal computer in Asimov's "The Last Question", we can never understand all of it.

Consider the state of quantum physics. Letting aside for the moment the fact that we still can't figure how quantum theory and general relativity can coexist, physicists understand that the physics tells us nothing of the true nature of the subatomic world. Quantum physics merely describes the observable phenomena; it gives us not a clue as to what a quark might actually be.

Closer to home, consider how little we understand about the nature of consciousness. I think there will always be aspects of experience where poetry will be able to explain more than science.

We are tiny and limited creatures in a vast universe which our knowledge illuminates only an infinitesimal corner of. Religion was invented to reassure us, when the thought of all that darkness gets to be too much, that somebody has all the answers. But in science, what's really important is the questions.

Answer 3

A million experiments may not prove something correct, but it only takes one to prove it's wrong.

If you believe in science so strongly, then you should realize it is very important to continually try to disprove a theory. Science is not grey, it is black and white. Something is true or it isn't true. An experiment that disproves evolution would not be a bad thing at all. It would be fantastic for science. That would mean that we don't understand what is going on and that we have alot more to learn. New theories will come and they too will be tested.

We will never KNOW if we are correct, but we can always know that this is the closest we've been yet. Who knows, the next big discovery could be around the corner.

You should look at the world more objectively and don't discard criticism or being disprove as bad, it's opportunity for improvement. That's the mark of a good scientist.

Answer 4

I believe the logical nature of the universe, that things only reveal themselves to humans as we become capable of understanding them, and even evolution are proof of the existence of God. The only reason for the universe to follow any law at all is that something is guiding it, a force we are not yet ready to comprehend so we might as well call it God. It is not futile to try and prove things wrong, because that is how we learn new things. If nobody had tried to prove the world was not flat we would still think that and absolutely know that the universe revolved around the Earth.

Answer 5

Yeah, for the most part I agree. However you mention evolution and quantum mechanics. These are theories...Theory of Evolution, Quantum Theory. Theories are not proven as fact. People use the word "theory" to signify "conjecture", "speculation", or "opinion." In this sense, "theories" are opposed to "facts" — parts of the world, or claims about the world, that are real or true regardless of what people think.
They may or may not be supported by facts, but they are anything from undisputable truth. I teach science, and I tell my students that even the most hard fast theories can be disproven in a second, or by one piece of missing information. We don't know as much as we think we do.

Answer 6

if you think about it, at any given time there will always be things that sciencs cannot answer. think abou thte past, and the knowlege they had. It was first thought that the earth was flat, then it was proven that the earth wasin fact round. then they asked if the world was in the center of the universe or not, which we figured out to be wrong... think about the "unsplitable" atom, cloning.. there haev always been, and will always be things that science does not know. were just adding layers and layers of what mankind knows. knowlege is like an asymptote: we keep getting closer and closer but never touch the actual thing we are searchign for. science will always be getting closer and closer to answering the universe's questions, but we will always be doing this for eternity, and thus human knowlege has a limit, the asymtote never reaches the axis and never will.

Answer 7

It's clear that science is your religion, and it's clear that you understand your religion as poorly as too many other folks understand theirs...

Science is about increasingly precise approximations to the ultimate, underlying reality of the universe; the theories are limited by our precision of measurement, and our ability to express them in formal terms. They are also limited by our presuppositions: as far as I can tell, there are some serious holes in the dating schemes critical to the theory of evolution (which I have addressed in other posts: the gist is the mathematical absurdity of extrapolating out millions to billions of times wider areas than the width of your data) that have as yet to be addressed.

If everything is explainable through science, you know, you are a meaningless expression of the most recent outworkings of physical law--yet you clearly seem to feel that you have meaning... Serious science would point to that (and other things) and say, "Outside our ability to explain!"

Human wit is limited; even in the aggregate, our wit is, albeit not doubt huge, still limited. IF you really understand the math involved in the science you so glibly talk about, you would realize that any model that could completely predict the universe would have to be as complex as the universe--and thus totally unmanageable for our limited wits...

Sorry to be so longwinded, but you asked for it...

Answer 8

General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are trying to prove eachother wrong, because they can't both be happening. But ya, I agree with you, that's what science is, just explaining all thats happening.

Answer 9

I cannot disagree with you except to say that Science seeks Truth. Who denies that? But the true scientist knows that there is no end to discovery and that beyond what we've learned and described as exactly as possible can be only one facet of a larger concept which can be revealed at a later time and be interpreted in an entirely new way. We say that only our creator can know absolutely and we can only strive to attain that ultimate wisdom. What we have now is The Bible, the holy revelation of a heavenly father's unfathomable love for His creation, and we can only bask in that revelation just as we warm ourselves in the sun's rays. It's a revelation that has inspired more searches for truth in knowledge, in all frames of reference - (music, personal & social harmony, etc. for instance,) Try it on. It might turn out to be a good fit. But don't call it religion: it's faith, .................... Luvya

Answer 10

l believe that science and religion are both branches of the tree of understanding. They dont need to prove or dis-prove each other simply ecknowledge, understand, and respect one another.
So i do agree that science does have undeniable answers regaering different parts of the universe, however this doesn't mean religion doesn't have answers for the same questions, that both compliment, and incoporate the scientific reasoning.
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