Do scientists or atheists know anything?

Question

I'm talking about God, evolution, and the meaning of life. What do they know about any of these things? Specifically: What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? And do you know if we evolved from apes?

I want to know too, because I hate (some of) them acting superior to me just cause I'm a Christian.

My argument here is that no one has enough proof to know the answer to any of these questions, and seeing as not one of you have given sufficient proof of any of your "answers", the only thing that you have proven is that you are not more knowledgeable than me nor anybody else on these issues.

And evolution is a THEORY, so give up on answering that question with your "proof" of deformed animal bones

Answer 1

That's a nice, narrow question that you have there. Do you really want me to answer, because it's going to take at least a two page essay's worth. I'll do it if you'll read it, otherwise I'm not going to bother. Email me and let me know what the case may be.

EDIT: You asked for it, so here it is:

Alright Josh, I’m going to assume that you will actually read this with an open mind, which, based on this: “And evolution is a THEORY, so give up on answering that question with your "proof" of deformed animal bones” is probably a flawed assumption. Regardless, here’s my two cents on the questions you’ve asked. First, the question:
Do scientists or atheists know anything?
I'm talking about God, evolution, and the meaning of life. What do they know about any of these things? Specifically: What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? And do you know if we evolved from apes?

I want to know too, because I hate (some of) them acting superior to me just cause I'm a Christian.
First: who I am and why I’m qualified: I am a senior at the University of Minnesota. I’m double majoring in Genetics and Evolutionary biology. I may not be an atheist (agnostic, for our purposes here), but I am a scientists, so I will answer the questions in kind. Do we know anything about God, scientifically? The simple answer is NO. We can’t. Some people seem to view science as a belief system, which is missing the point by as much as possible, if you ask me. I do not. Science is defined as “3 a: knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method b: such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena,” according to Webster’s online. Science is about observing and testing things in the natural world. We cannot test God, as he is beyond our natural world. He is supernatural, and as such is beyond the realm of science. Any true scientist will tell you this. Given the basic definition, it is very clear that science can make no claims about God, and rightly so. As a biologist, I make no claims about Astrophysics. It is beyond the realm of my expertise. The same is true of science and God.

Second, you ask about the meaning of life (first, but it fits my answer better to go in this order). What do scientists know about this? Nothing uniform. Again, the meaning of life is something that most people would agree is dependant on the individual. My reason for being, if I have one, is surely different than yours. It is beyond the scientific method to determine the meaning of life, and as such it is beyond science. From a biological stand point, the meaning is to procreate, although I doubt anyone would say that this constitutes a complete response to the question. The meaning of your life is beyond science. As far as what atheism says, I’m not touching that one.

Finally, we arrive at what I suspect is at the heart of your question: “do you know if we evolved from apes?” The short answer is no, we did not evolve from apes, but we share a common ancestor with them. It’s difficult to answer this question in a meaningful way to a non-scientist, and I suspect that this is where I will lose you, but I shall try anyway. The fact of the matter is that there is an incredible volume of evidence that supports the theory of evolution (I’d also like to point out that in science, a theory is essentially the same as a fact. { http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA201.html } For instance, gravity is a theory. Biology has no laws. Evolution is as close as we poor bastards get.). You mentioned that you want sources; here are a few:

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/ (Great, but long)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence_of_evolution (also good)
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0_0/lines_01 (Berkley’s site is great, check it out!)
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/ (Absolutely PHENOMENAL in terms of citation of primary source material, comprehensiveness and accessibility to non-scientists.)

What we know is that humans evolved from ape like creatures. We share a common ancestor with the apes, we did not evolve from them. ( http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/ ). We know that life has changed over time. We do not know how it began. This part is key: EVOLUTION MAKES NO CLAIMS ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF LIFE. Darwin’s chosen title is a bit of a misnomer; he doesn’t refer to the origin of all species, just how species arise. All we know is that life started somehow, and that this is where we have gotten so far. What evolution does is to explain how we got from point A to point B. I am not a Christian, but I know that Christianity and evolution are not mutually exclusive. There is no reason not to accept both. Why is it so unfathomable that the all powerful creator of the universe would use a tool like evolution to guide the development of life? I have yet to see anything that says this could not have happened. We know that evolution happened, for a tremendous number of reasons. If you believe that God exists, why are the two incompatible?

I’m going to stop now, as I fear that I may be speaking to deaf ears. I genuinely hope that this is not the case, Josh. I’ve cited what I believe to be the best resources available, and I’ve seen most everything that is out there. If you have any more questions, now or anytime in the future, feel free to email me, and I will give you the best answer I have, or get it from someone else. And, if the case may be, I’ll admit I don’t know. This is something that science is good at, and I like to think of it as a prerequisite to being a scientist: you have to be able to admit you are wrong. Anyways, this is my answer to your questions. I hope that something in here has made you think, and if you want to discuss anything, even if you don’t agree with me, I’d be more than happy to do so if you are willing. Again, any questions, let me know, otherwise, have a good day Josh.

Answer 2

I just asked atheists what theory of the universe do they believe in? Since they constantly say it's on the burden of the theists to prove thier positive.I decided to find out what atheists believe in. i gave them over 10 different popular theories from incredibly bright and well accredited scientisits.Some were mathematicians and some are scientists.So i then proceeded to ask my question. WHich scientist,quantum physicists,mathematicians....etc are right and which ones are wrong. b/c if you are a scientist who promotes the universe had a creation(big bang) like stephen hawking does, and if your a scientist that says there are multiple universes like lee smolin or hugh everett If you are a quasi-steady state proponent,meaning the universe has also been,and was not created like Fred Hoyle, Geoffrey Burbidge, and Jayant V. Narlikar. Something doesn't add up.They CANNOT ALL BE CORRECT. then you have alistaire mcgrath with a doctorate in molecular biophysics....who is a intelligent design pro ponent. Yet with all this information how can you be a atheist. I can respect a agnostic,can't respect a atheist....when you have all these intelligent people who disagree totally with one another.

Answer 3

Scientists know many things, but they also know the limits of their knowledge. This is why science is such a powerful tool: it has made knowledge measurable. To adress your specific question, yes, scientists know for a fact that we evolved from apes. The meaning of life and the existence of God are not questions that are scientific in nature, so they would have to be adressed by a philosopher or theologian. Science can't tell you anything about God, but it can tell you everything about his creation (if this is what you believe).

Regarding Evolution, I've heard people say, "yes, but do you know for sure?". Because we didn't see the transformation with our own eyes, did we? It is true that there will always be room for doubt, like for instance I see today that the sky is blue, the sun is up and casts shadow on the ground. I feel heat on my skin as I walk in the sun. Is it day or night? – Well, it's daytime obviously. – But what if it's just a simulation, or drug-induced hallucination? Or something else that makes me believe it's daytime? This is called solipsism and means we can't really know anything outside our own selves for sure. In other words, any knowledge is useless. That's not going to get you very far.

Sorry you feel atheists act superior, but creationists (which you may or not be) tend to be rather ignorant of science. And like most people, atheists can sometimes be jerks.

Edit: You *are* actually arguing for solipsism, i.e. "you're wrong because we can't know anything for sure". If you investigate what modern science has to say you'll find a heck of a lot more compelling evidence than animal bones (fossils, I presume). The gene found in man which has fused from two early ape genes (which still exists in modern apes) just blows me away.

Answer 4

First, atheism means only disbelief in God(s) and, therefore, is not an epistemology.

Science and religion are competing epistemologies. Science maintains that there is such a thing as objective and true human knowledge; that it is based in empirical reality; and that it can be achieved through application of the scientific method.

Religion denies objective human knowledge in favor of revealed divine truth and, almost always, involves a supernatural being that no one has ever seen or can ever know (in a reality-based way).

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edit -

..."And evolution is a THEORY, so give up on answering that question with your "proof" of deformed animal bones"...

You never fell for all of that "an education is important" nonsense, huh?

Answer 5

The meaning of life is a philosophical question. Some people find religion useful here and some people don't.

Science doesn't address this.

Humans are, in fact apes, biologically speaking, and so were all the ancestors of humans going back to the "first apes". I use inverted commas because there is no clear dividing line between the earliest apes and the latest primate ancestors of apes that weren't apes.

Evolutionary theory can answer your question about whether humans evolved from apes, but not the earlier parts of your question about God and meaning.

Answer 6

actually there is enough "proof" that evolution is true and it doesn't say we evolved from apes.

Thousands of scientists spend their entire lives researching evolution - why do you think they would do it if they didnt know it was true? "Yeah I'm an evolutionary biologist but since there's no evidence for evolution I'm just twiddling my thumbs"

on the other hand there is no "proof" that your god exists

Answer 7

Atheists-- they don't believe God exists, the meaning of life is each owns point of view, if they believe in evolution then they believe that we evolved from the same descendant as an ape but not apes themselves

Scientists-- are diverse and could believe in any religion if any at all, meaning of life is their own point of view, and believe we evolved from the same descendant as apes

those that act superior are just as bad as the few Christians that act superior to them

Answer 8

For this atheist, the meaning of life is to do good works, love your family and friends, be a good person (without a god having to tell you to). I don't believe there is a god, because there's no proof. Open a science book to learn about evolution, or go on the science board and ask an evolution question, as it's a complicated thing and would require more space and time than I have.

Answer 9

They have no evidence of a god, so I'm sure they can't tell you anything about him.

And the meaning of life is a philosophical question, not a scientific one.

As for evolution, yes, they can show the process and there is proof. You need to pick up a text book.

Answer 10

I feel the same way about (some) christians. Because I don't believe that there is a god, to them I must be stupid. Just because I questioned what they hold true, and came up with the opposite answer, I must have something wrong with me. (I was raised religious and turned atheist in my late 20's)
To answer you questions.
The meaning of life is to live it to the fullest because it is all we have.
No, there is no god. He was created to give hope and morals to the hopeless barbarians. What better way than to tell people whose lives sucked: "Don't worry about this life. If you are good here, you will spend eternity blissfully in heaven."
Yes, we evolved from not just apes, but smaller organisms over hundreds of millions of years.

Question what you believe in. If you question and come out with opposite answers than mine, that is fine. Just don't follow blindly because that's what you were taught. If you question, you know in your heart the path that you are to take, whether religious or not.

Answer 11

Do Scientists, Atheists or Religious followers know anything?

I am None of these and yet I do not feel superior to any. I believe that each has a 'part of the jigsaw' but no one sees the full picture. This is how it is meant to be.

In the end, it only matters what each individual believes because you will never convince a steadfast sceptic!