Isnt it a major flaw in the scientific community to assume and affirm they have everything figured out?

Question

.. why the rush to affirm the unknown and rule God out?

Answer 1

You misspelled 'religious'. You spelled it s-c-i-e-n-t-i-f-i-c.

Answer 2

The scientific community, meaning scientists in peer-reviewed journals, simply try to improve understanding.

When some scientists talk about agnosticism or atheism (such as Dawkins), they're branching into philosophical issues and their concern about religious thinking, that assumes things are "correct" but does not factor in evidence.

But science is just about the facts and updating knowledge. They do not assume that everything is figured out, otherwise they would do no research. Religion tends to claim that it can fit the world in a box, usually a creation story and holy book.

Some scientists just lack belief in gods because there is no compelling evidence for them. They will be open to the possibility of evidence turned up, but there has not been anything to date. Many people who dislike science end up using the supernatural to explain natural processes, which is a big problem (see creationism). Scientists are trying to learn something, and they don't care how the evidence conforms to their biases. That's the wonderful part of science.

Science and technology have also given us vaccines, genetically modified crops, better engineering, electricity, surgery, cell phones, computers, and all sorts of wonderful things (and a few bad -- like the atom bomb). Ultimately it is a tool for understanding the universe, and using it to improve the quality of human life.

Answer 3

1.) Not one person in the scientific community has ever contended that science has figured everything out. The fact that you say such a thing demonstrates that you know absolutely nothing about science.

2.) It is the attack on the Theory of Evolution by Christians themselves that has dragged science into this fracas. The truth is legitimate scientists really want nothing to do with religion, but scientifically illiterate Christians constantly attack anything and everything that even remotely contradicts their ignorant superstitions.

3.) While it's true that a significant number of scientists are atheists, there are also many scientists who are believers. Your beef is actually with atheists, not with scientists -- as far too many deeply deluded believers mistakenly insist.

Answer 4

I've been following scientific advances for 50 years and scientists NEVER believe they have it all figured out. In fact, every new fact or experiment a scientist or lab does has some other scientist or set of scientists saying "not so fast, the real reason might be...". This goes on endlessly in science.

Here in Yahoo Answer you might find plenty of people who think they have it all figured out, including me, but practically none of us are practicing scientists.

Finally, science never rules God out. It isn't the function of science to rule God in, or out, of anything. Some individual scientist might say something to that effect on rare occasions as a personal belief but that is not part of science.

Answer 5

First, your question is illogical. Why would they try to affirm the unknown? How can that be done? We try to learn about the unknown. Second, it's not possible to rule out God because it is a non-falsifiable claim. Science investigates the natural realm, it says nothing about the supernatural. Thirdly, I'd say your basic assumption shows you know nothing about science, essentially nullifying your entire question/point. Finally, even though it's been said at least twice, I'll say it again: you've confused religion and science. I don't know whether to congratulate you or slap you. Either way, it's quite the "accomplishment."

Answer 6

who's rushing? in four hundred years, the hypothesis that god is responsible for some natural phenomena has never aided scientific understanding, although it has certainly hindered it a few times. to the extent that god is empirically testable, it has failed the test. to the extent that god is not testable, it is irrelevant to the scientific enterprise. there are plenty of unanswered questions in science, but so far, god has nothing to do with any of them. this does not mean that scientists are attempting to rule out god, they just realise that if such a thing exists, there is currently no scientific way to study it.

Answer 7

THe flaw here is not that "the scientific community assume[s] and affirm[s] they have everything figured out"

The flaw is that you think that's what science is about. No self-respecting scientist ever thinks he/she has all the answers. Scientists are always trying to disprove theories--that is the whole point of science. A theory is only valid as long as it hasn't been disproved, so every scientist realizes that anything they say can be discounted at some point in the future.

It's religious types who are unable to adapt.

But then...your question sounds like a troll's question

Answer 8

You must be really dim to imagine that scientists think they they have everything figured out just because they are making an effort to understand things. Most scientists primary concern is inquiry, research is not done in an effort to rule God out but sometimes their discoveries do show the Bible to be in error as a side effect.

Answer 9

If someone assumes and affirms that they have everything figured out they are not scientists and do not have any business calling themselves that. The whole point of science to further our knowledge.

Answer 10

You are wrong here. Maybe you are repeating what some lying preacher said. Scientists do not claim to know everything. It is the religious people who do that. Generally, scientists just say there is no evidence that gods exist. You mention just one god, but the others are just as real-unreal as this one is. I see much proof that God does not exist. The Bible proves it quite well. Isaac Asimov and Thomas Jefferson said that before I did however.

Answer 11

No more than it would be to assume that every animal in the chicken-house is a chicken...unless you go into the chicken-house and affirm that for yourself...

-but- my grandmother learned by experience to carry a 4-10 gauge shotgun with her, into the chicken-house, (and into the garden), just in case...