Is science like religion?

Question

Science discovers something. A few years later, there are new findings that prove everything earlier scientists have stated is false. Yet another scientist discovers something to disprove what the latest scientist has said. Who and what do we believe?

Answer 1

Science is like a religion in terms of its goals. It wants to explain things we don't understand. It also seeks to give us control over things we can't control. Especially Death. Religion does the same thing, except on faith instead of concrete achievement.

Science is not like a religion in its approach to those issues. Science starts from a position of observing data. It requires rational explanation, rigorous proof, and experminetation.

Most religions only require belief and trust that they are right.

Answer 2

First of all, scientists are always testing each other and retesting themselves. Science is nothing like religion. Religion is based on belief in what is not known and cannot be observed. Science is based on what can be observed and tested. Scientists may find new things and refine previously existin knowledge but it is rarely a dramatic change. If you get your science from the media, you will only get a very jaded science, most of which is for the benefit of the media and not real. Unless you are reading the research and reading what the scientists concluded and why, you are only hearing what some other person thought about it. You should believe what you have read and what you hear from those you trust (like your doctor etc).
Just some advice, don't tell a scientist to his/her face that science is like religion or you might see what happens when nerds/geeks go wild...lol.

Answer 3

That's precisely the beauty of science -- no one says what we believe! Scientists report facts and findings, and everything about their experiments, and it's up to the reader to decide, "Hmm, is the scientist's conclusion believable, or do I think that it could be due to some other effect?"

Unfortunately, the way that science is reported in the media makes it seem like the Scientific Community is a big committee that has a consensus opinion on everything. But really, all scientists have different opinions, and have varying degrees of belief in new theories. They do tend to accept established theories, but that's just because they've been tested over and over.

Answer 4

Rarely is a scientific finding shown to be false. Usually is is just a better revision becomes possible. In most cases, there is a new discovery or a better theory. We still study Newtonian mechanics despite the discovery of relativity. Relativity may be replaced by another theory that better explains what relativity does not explain. That does not negate what relativity explains. Records are broken. New discoveries will show things that are larger, smaller, faster, more distant or older. This does not blink the previous record holder out of existence. Science is not about belief, but investigation, testing and discovery.

Answer 5

You're parable is more like Science is Mythology.

Religion, true religion, stays constant.

American Indians haven't changed their views in centuries, neither have Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists or Muslims.

Since no one can conclusively prove God doesn't exist religion hangs on.

Science loves to put lables on things they don't know for a fact or can't totally explain. Black Holes.

If we ever go out into deep space we may prove that that is a myth, or prove it is real.

We don't know, but Science shouldn't be indoctrinating common man in these things without a disclaimer.

When I grew up Pluto was a planet, now it isn't!

Answer 6

They are not in the least comparable. Science advances based on new discoveries; religion does not advance. Science is now sufficiently progressed that the major theories are well established, and are not overthrown at all often. There are lots of cracks where details are still being filled in, but the overall picture of the universe (at least the local part of it) is quite sound. The major difference between religion and science is that religion requires belief in supernatural phenomena, while science explicitly denies that there is any such thing.

Answer 7

science is not like religion. religion is faith based, it is accepted without question. science is ever evolving, through questioning, testing and experimenting, facts are sought out.

as far as new findings changing things in science, it does happen. as technology and knowledge increase, new findings are discovered and can become accepted. the vast majority of the new findings are minute tweaks of existing knowledge. it is rare that something completely radical is discovered that changes major schools of thought. when it does happen, the scientist , evaluate it and accept it , if it is correct.

who to believe? personally, i'd trust Stephen Hawking over Jimmy Swaggert.

Answer 8

Good question, it made me thougth, personally i think some way or other it has to be like a religion, especially because of the scientist that look for people to aprove or join their ideas.

Anyway, i think science was originally made to get close to God, as einstein said, on the apeareance of science there is atheims, but in his deep its imposible not to see a god.

so, science is a religion, for some it has a god, for some others no, but is still a religion

Answer 9

Religion is True, Good, Beautiful... it is one, and absolute. That's the way it is, and it's unmoving, unlike science. But that's the beauty of Science. Science is about discovery and learning. If it seems something is true, and then the real truth is brought to light, why should you hide it? Theories are only that, and if they change we should be happy. The search for truth is ongoing, but Science and Religion delve into different kinds of truth. You can certainly abide by them both.

Answer 10

Science is a self-correcting and always evolving. Carl Sagan believed science was "informed worship" or I like to call it "spiritual science" Science is just a way to uncover the mysteries of the universe. There is so much more we don't know than we do know but what we do know, speaks volumes.