God/Philosophy versus Science February 21, 2007
Posted by earthking in Religion.trackback
I just read a post by someone who thought that science is more rational than religion, showing us all a little flow chart of how scientific knowledge works. That is all fine and dandy, but you know what? That premise doesn’t make ANY sense at all. God made the world, which is why we find it so fascinating. The infinite Intellect made the universe so interesting and intriguing that man has not exhausted the depths of the universe even after thousands, and possibly, millions of years. God would never say science is evil or bad, because it can be a way towards him. There have been many scientists who wonder about God every time they study or research the universe.
In addition, there are many things that science cannot explain with all of its experimentation and exactness. In fact, if it were not for the possibility of metaphysics, science could not exist as we know it today. There have been a few philosophers who have attacked the validity of scientific knowledge. The attacks were never and could never be answered by science because they shook the very foundations of science. For example, how can a scientist study a few hundred cats and come to the conclusion that ALL cats have four legs? If the scientist did not view each and every cat that lives, lived in the past, or will ever live, then it seems preposterous to posit such a “truth”. How can we explain that scientific “truths” always seem to evolve? It seemed scientific that the earth was flat, yet it was discovered to be a sphere. It seemed scientific that in the 1970’s scientists believed the earth to be heading towards another Ice Age, yet here we are 30 years later screeming “Global Warming.” Scientific knowledge is valid, but the foundations of it lie outside of science.
Earth King 
What most scientists will not admit…science does not contradict the bible…it actually supports what is all ready there….
I once heard someone say that science in and of itself is a religion of sorts…it takes more faith to believe some of the outlandish theories they spew than it does to believe that God created the heavens and the earth….
Heaven forbid you point out to them that the bible told us the world was round and that the life was in the blood and that everyone was unique even down to their finger tips….Maybe they should read it once in awhile…….Good post
I have come to the conclusion that we live in a world filled with Metaphors. To me, everything to a certain extent is a metaphor and should be regarded as such. No single field of study holds all the knowledge.
The scientific approach is good for certain things, yet we tend to overstretch it to things where it does not apply. And quite frankly, looking at M-Theory and quantum mechanics, science is now also about believing….
(For a thorough critique of the scientific approach: “Steps to an Ecology of Mind” Gregory Bateson, first chapter if I remember correctly)
Abosolutely correct. Each source of knowledge has its limits, even science. And yes, science is almost becoming like a philosophic knowledge with the new theories that have little basis in proven physical reality.
Someone had to create life to begin with. It didn’t start on it’s own. Science has it’s place in our life, but it’s a step below God.
cumby, how do you know that? this is a belief YOU have, some people have others….
what if there is not beginning and no end to the universe? what if it always just was?
Phantomias, actually you could be correct. The universe MAY have co-existed eternally with a deity, and may go on forever. It is very important to distinguish between the limits of reason. In fact, one of the proofs of God’s existence is often misquoted by starting out with the premise that the universe had a beginning. That is not the only possibility, hence, a very erroneous argument to prove the existence of God, or a deity. I also disagree with cumby, and agree with Phantomias.
I do not believe any one particular religion. I do believe it is perfectly rational and scientific to conclude that given the evidence available, there is absolutely no reason to think that material processes alone can explain everything. Space-time was created at the big bang — science is, in that sense, creationist. We can’t comprehend what came before that since we can only think in terms of space-time. If a “God” (however one conceives God) exists outside of space-time, that entity would literally be un-imaginable and unconceivable to us, and simply outside the ability of science to either test, prove or disprove.
Look into quantum mechanics and modern physics (I recommend Brian Greene’s “The Fabric of the Cosmos”), and the strange and bizarre nature of the world science studies shows the limits of materialist determinism. To believe there is nothing outside of material impersonal processes (i.e., processes without some sort of will or intellect behind them) takes a leap of faith far greater than that of a religious believer. (For my own take on religion see: http://scotterb.wordpress.com/faith-and-philosophy/)