Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!julian!deepthot!macros
From: macros@deepthot.UUCP (R.)
Newsgroups: sci.misc
Subject: Re: Science IS a religion.
Keywords: gods etc.
Message-ID: <1122@deepthot.UUCP>
Date: 24 Mar 88 18:18:06 GMT
References: <73600008@uiucdcsp> <5201@uwmcsd1.UUCP> <2867@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Reply-To: macros@deepthot.UUCP (R.)
Distribution: na
Organization: UWO CS, London Canada
Lines: 27
Posted: Thu Mar 24 13:18:06 1988

Ed Kaulakis writes (in article 2867@gryphon.CTS.COM):

   "The God of Science differs from all others in favoring the
    intelligent, well-informed, and skeptical. For them she performs 
    miracles. All other gods seem to avoid these people for their 
    demonstrations."

This is very curious. I don't know which gods you are refering to, but
those of which I am most familiar as those of the ancient Greek Pantheon
and the above statement does NOT fit them as a group. Apollo, for
example was the god of music, art, and divination (etc); these certainly
involve intelligence (the ability to learn and EXPRESS that learning)
and well-informativeness (a requirement of MASTERY), and skepicism is
essential in ANY endeavour where KNOWLEDGE is at stake. Admittedly,
one has to believe in the efficacy of one's tools (divination for
example), but this is decidedly of equal importance in science. The
CRITERION of efficacy is at work in both spheres, though the problem
of unfalsifyabilty is more pronouned in those related to deities, but
only because there is the additional factor of randomness introduced
through the personality of the god. This makes their task more difficult,
but NOT unworkable. Science too has its limitations, for example, our
laws relating pressure, volume and temperature are statistical, they
tell you very little about INDIVIDUAL constituent entities. Science
also enforces a certain way of viewing the world (i.e. mechanistically)
and this is as much of a piece of dogma as any rite.

					Raymond J. Tigg