Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!pyramid!octopus!avsd!govett
From: govett@avsd.UUCP (David Govett)
Newsgroups: sci.misc
Subject: Re: Science IS a religion.
Message-ID: <32@avsd.UUCP>
Date: 14 Mar 88 17:08:23 GMT
References: <73600008@uiucdcsp>
Organization: Ampex Advanced Technology Division, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 52

> 	But the bottom line is that science is not logical and not
> 	impartial but very much driven by politics and personalities,
> 	it's a religion complete with dogma and high priests, and the
>       ... 
> 	So what happened to science?  Was it always this bad?
> 	Remembering phrenology one is tempted to say so.  But
> 	I don't believe that.  I think that Science can be something 
> 	worthwhile, but I think the verdict on whether it is, has been, or will
>       ...
> 	It still seems very likely to me that
> 	future generations might look on science the way we look
> 	on alchemy or might even regard it with the disgust we resevre
> 	for slavery and racism.

Science is a creation of the human mind, so it would be surprising not
to find imperfections.  

I think you NEED science to be a religion.  You are looking for absolutes
that only dogma can provide.

The scientific method (more specifically, mathematics) is the only
reasonably effective technique man has developed for understanding 
the universe, however imperfectly. 

It is important to remember that scientific "truths" are only the
best understanding at any time, they can never be absolute truths. 

Obviously future generations will consider us primitive, just as their
descendants will consider them so.  Only recently have most people come
to view slavery and racism with disgust. 






















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