Why such blind faith in Science ?

Question

The cornerstone of every Atheists argument - the irrefutable facts of "Science" . Forget about God and religion for a moment, and answer - why such great faith in science ? Just as the problem with religions is with the administration, the problem with science is that it relies on scientists. Human beings, subject to the same ego, hubris, greed and corruption as any other group of human beings. Known to ignore research that goes against their hypothesis, falsify their results, and just plain out and out lie, for fame or fortune or both. I heard today of 200 people dying, mostly children, from supposedly safe drug tests sanctioned by "scientists" . The scariest thing about science and scientists is that too often they take the view that the end justifies the means. I wouldn't trust a scientist any more than I would a politician, the media, or any other snake oil salesman.

Why such blind faith in science ?

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/nigeria-sues-drug-giant-over-trials/2007/05/30/1180205338681.html

Quote: Traceability. Proof by physical experimentation.

Fair enough, but that doesn't address their failings as listed above. It is their "proof" , taken as fact on face value, more so than any other profession. Why should they be believed more than say, a cosmetic companies new anti-wrinkle cream advertisement. Whoopsie, that's scientists as well !

Evidence is EVERYTHING ! How much evidence do you need to see that anything science tells you should be taken with a grain of salt. READ YOUR OWN ANSWERS ! You people really do have a blind spot when it comes to science, don't you ? ...Galileo overthrowing Ptolemy and Einstein overthrowing Newton...Every new generation of scientists proving the last generation got it wrong. MY POINT EXACTLY ! Why so much faith in what they tell you now ?

Why such faith in religion, dear Robot ? WHO IS TALKING ABOUT RELIGION ? No answer worth a pinch of the proverbial, lets throw mud to cloudy up the issue. Yes, must be a religious nut, questioning science like that. You science lovers can dish, but you can't take.

Jennifer Jupiter, you are as blind to the same failings you accuse others of. Do not give me your pity, give me a good reason to have BLIND faith in science.

I'm sick of you atheist one-trick-ponies. All you do is spout anti-religious jargon, and do not provide any examples of why you have such faith in science, when you yourselves admit how flawed it is. Ad hominem arguments, that is all you are capable of. Pathetic.

So, you believe because you have actually sat down and done the tests and calculations yourselves ? If one person on YA can show me that they have actually studied the proofs they believe in so readily , WITH THEIR OWN EYES as they so commonly state, I'll go he. I an not arguing that it's not true, I just argue they haven't earned the trust you so readily give them.

Where were the scientists "shooting down the proof" before 200 people died from their greed and arrogance ? Yes, faith in the "system" really works, doesn't it. Oh, sorry, forgot the ends justify the means, they'll get it right next time and the billions they earn from the drug will be worth the 200 lives it cost, wont it ?

Quote: Moiraes Fate "roflm. Not again." I can say the same about your answer, and most of the others. What have you actually explained in your answer ? I understand "science" all right, that's why I am wary of it. If I apply your reasoning: pro science people here have answered (as supportive evidence, lol) how science is always being proven wrong, as part of the process. Fair enough. You want me to have faith in what is always being proven wrong.... ok....

You know, I don't usually swear, but for gosh darned sake !!! Diogenes, you say "Scientific conclusions are never "irrefutable facts," because they can always be changed when new facts become available -- quite unlike the obsolete superstitions of religion. The reason for trusting science is precisely that it is a self-correcting system for discovering truth" Are you arguing for or against me ? That is my point exactly. Science is not perfect, is proven wrong over and over, yet it is accepted by most people as being correct without question. If it's science, it must be true.

As for the word "irrefutable" just have a look at answers pages here on YA, that word is used all the time by atheists in their posts to bolster their arguments. Like I said, you can dish...

Dougness - "Would you kill a man to save 20?" Are you serious ? No, I would not. I would continue researching till I found a way to reach my goal without killing the one. That is the attitude of scientists I find most concerning.

Finally, I understand !

Question religion, and you are a open-minded, modern thinker. Dare to question science and you are a "BIGOT" . Or uneducated. One way street with you people. I thought being scientific was about questioning the way of things.

Answer 1

It is vary vary importent it teaches thing we have not learn in school.

Answer 2

I really hate to go all CSI like on ya. Scientists lie. Evidence doesn't. The earth was created 5000 yrs ago right why trust science to say that it was 5 billion. You don't need to be a scientist to see the evidence. Also (and i am sure i'll be crucified for this (no pun intended)) sometimes the end does justify the means. Would you kill a man to save 20? Overall in history the human quality of life has always trended upward (as have the population of both atheists and scientists) People live now better than any other time in history. Can religion claim any responsability? NO science has gotten us this far and sure there have been some hiccups along the way but look at your life I am not talking abut your spiritual life i am talking about the one you live everyday. Name one activity you do that in no way requires the science of today or past days. I can't

Answer 3

For me, it's not 'blind faith'. I see the hand and workings of God in nature. I have felt His presence. There is no incontrovertible truth, because if there was, then it wouldn't be faith. And maybe those smart people that you know who believe are on to something? True, religious spawned wars are terrible and horrifying, but that's a problem with the human side of those religions. You said, "but now that modern science has answered so many of the questions, why do people still believe." People used to say, when explaining things, 'this happens, then this happens, then some sort of miracle happens and you get this!' NOW, we have technology to see that there is something actually happening in the miracle that can be explained. This is NOT an argument against God. Don't you think God would make it that way? To work perfectly on its own? I have questioned if what I believed was real. I have looked into the evolution and Big Bang theory and all other Atheistic theories, and, to me, they're more ridiculous than God!

Answer 4

Are you home schooled? You know no more of science and scientists than your own bigoted opinions. The whole point of organized science is to overcome the human failings of scientists. Scientific conclusions are never "irrefutable facts," because they can always be changed when new facts become available -- quite unlike the obsolete superstitions of religion. The reason for trusting science is precisely that it is a self-correcting system for discovering truth, despite the fact that scientists are merely human beings.

Edit: I'm sorry you can't see my point. I suggest you try to see "the big picture." Sure mistakes are made along the way, that's what human beings do -- they make mistakes. At least organized science works to correct the errors. Religion, on the other hand, is based on the imagined infallibility of divine revelation. When religion makes an error, it simply exterminates those who speak the truth, never admitting error. Believers have been repeating the same mistake for thousands of years and have yet to realize that the God they experience in their subjective awareness has no existence in objective reality. Literally millions of innocent human beings have been cruelly tortured and hideously executed because organized religion is unwilling to recognize its own fundamental errors and is incapable of taking affirmative action to remedy them.

Answer 5

It's not faith, but well placed confidence. If insanity is doing the same thing over and over with the same failing results, then science is quite safe in its validity and that just pisses alot of people off.

Can't figure out why. Science is awesome even if some its people are idiots sometimes, but then Kirk Cameron certainly isn't a scientist, now is he?

Religion can learn and benefit nicely from complementary scientific insight. It can do so without compromising its basic tenets. It just has to want to.

Answer 6

Aspirin and birth control kill people each year. Science warns us that it may not be safe to use either of these products. Why is this blind faith?

People die from experiments all the time. The item being tested usually has to go through several stages before it can go to human use. My guess is that it was done in Nigeria because they have less restrictions on what they will allow.

Of course most religions also justify the means with the ends. It doesn't matter how many gays I kill as long as some of them aren't gay at the end. It doesn't matter how many children I murder if I save one. Happens all the time.

Answer 7

Science isn't based on scientists, it's based on observations of the natural world. But you're right: scientists are just as human as anyone else. They do tend to become locked-in on whatever happens to be the "in-theory", and they reject anything that doesn't jibe with their beliefs. That's why, if you want to be well-informed, you have to read things for yourself and take everything that a so-called expert tells you with a grain of salt, and get multiple opinions from people with different points of view.

Answer 8

YOU FAIL TO UNDERSTAND SCIENCE. It's NOT "Blind."
And there are *NO* irrefutable facts of "Science", at all!!!
Science LIVES to overturn its own theories... think Galileo overthrowing Ptolemy and Einstein overthrowing Newton!

“If you thought that science was certain - well, that is just an error on your part.” -- Richard Feynman

In SCIENCE, "proof" is nothing, EVIDENCE is EVERYTHING.
And there's tons and tons and tons and tons of evidence!

“If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate.” -- Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World

[Edit]: Your comments are truly sad. Just for one example, *YOUR* implication re Ptolemy is that we REVERT to a model where The Earth Is The Centre Of The Universe - yes, Geocentricism! ... Ptolemy died in 168 AD. RIDICULOUS! AND YOU GIVE NO ALTERNATIVE!!!

Answer 9

I saw your first answer. It is typical what those who come here say , the 'scientific one's, who are not typically scientists, but layman with no idea about what's going on in the scientific world.

And this is leave you with, it is a quote that I found today concerning the 'belief' that evolution caused the development of dinosaurs to birds.

Storrs Olson, the curator of birds at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, . . . "One of the primary arguments used to deflect our view is that we are a fringe group," he said. "But if science operates by a majority view, we're in serious trouble.

"We are dealing here basically with a faith-based science where the contrarian view is silenced to a large extent by the popular press," he added.


( Just like a religion!)

Answer 10

Becuase people tend to trust what the they can percieve with their 5 senses.

God cant be percieved with just the 5 senses the spirit must be involved.And for many different reasons people refuse to trust the spirit,to have faith in God.

I'm seeing a lot of people defending science and not really answering your question.Weather they like it or not,they do have faith in science just like diest have faith in God.Difference is God is always greater.

Answer 11

It's not blind faith. Science is constantly changing and evolving. New facts are discovered, old ones discarded or revised. It's a work in progress. Unlike religion, science is not stagnant. But some like yourself, attack what they refuse to try to understand. I pity you.