I
posted two questions the other day for people to vote on for my video blog, and "Why is science incompatible with religion" won out. If you're a bigger fan of reading, I've tackled this question before and in far greater depth
here.
LaughingRon left the comment that I talk about in the video:
I don't know whether I completely buy into it or not, or if I've mulled it around in my brain enough yet, but I had an Anthropology professor tell me once that "religion can answer the why questions but not the how questions and science can answer the how questions but not the why questions"...I guess they have been and always will be apples and oranges?
I'm thinking that I'll do one of these a week, probably on Thursdays. So send in what you'd like me to talk about and on Wednesday I'll put the possible topics up for voting (or I may just decide on my own, mwahahahahaha!).
Enjoy!
Comments (14)
I cant see vid's at work. Bah.
You have a very nice speaking voice. And a passion for your beliefs.
And a sexy green bracelet
"they make a magnificant glory of getting the answers wrong..." Best line of the video.
Very nice.
Very well done...and you do have a nice voice...:o)
Your piggy and card guys need to sit up and pay attention!
While I completly see where your coming from, and understand all of your arguments, I'd still see a mingle of religion in the universe, even if I can't prove it, but I guess that's what faith is about. Even though science is undeniable, and I don't agree with a lot of religious teachings, I'm still inclined to see something out there, but maybe thats just me.
And I have to agree with everyone else, you have a nice voice!
@Gavilan - He actually explaind that green bracelet in a previous video!
@The_second_x - Well...there's not much I can do with what you feel. The thing is that what we feel is very often a poor arbiter of what is true. Do me a favor and look at this image. This is Roger Shepard's "Turning the Tables." Both tables are exactly the same size and shape, and you may use whatever means you like to confirm this. However, once you know that they are the same size, they will still appear different to you just because of how your brain is structured to interpret spacial cues. You will continue to feel that they are different.
I realize you're sincere when you say you feel a religious presence out there, but which is more likely: that it actually is there, or that humans are predisposed to feel governance or design in the universe just the way you are predisposed to feeling that those tables are different sizes? I'd argue that it's the latter.
JT
@Zerowing21 - It might well be. I for one can't actually prove that there is a religious presence out there. But I find comfort in believing that. I also don't see any harm in these beliefs as long as I do not enfore them on others.
@The_second_x - *nod* Comfort is not a sequitor to truth, which I'm sure you realize.
Also, I've touched on the fact that there is harm in such beliefs (or at least, in the way of thinking that leads to them). If you're interested, you can read it here.
JT
Are the headphones necessary? lol
As much as I really appreciate what you have to say and agree with most of it because I've always found what athiests have to say very interesting, I still have faith. You say that faith and comfort is not a sequitor to truth, but we don't know the truth. Even with as much physics and science that we have to back it up, we really don't know. Couldn't someone have PUT the matter there? Didn't someone have to create the matter? I know your argument will be again that its highly possible that its always been there. I recgonize that. But all the discoveries made by science further strengthen my views that there has to be something more out there. As much as I can say that it is possible that there is no God, because really, we don't know, it would be nice to also hear from some athiest that there might be a God. I just mean, you all seem so sure you know the answers, but none of us really do. So we're all in the same boat, really. I do really like the phrase that Science answers the how and religion answers the why.
I guess Im just saying, we can expand science out really far, but I still think something had to put it there. Where'd the hydrogen come from? You know? Or hey, maybe God is hydrogen. There's a thought. (Whoa I may have just blown my own mind).
Anyway though, this was a good video, you've made strong arguments but I do see a little bit of closemindedness against religion (I know I know, you're going to say, thats what everyone who has faith says) but trust me I have a VERY open mind, I really do. I accept changes and embrace them. I'm definitely not one to ignore something because it doesn't fit with my beliefs. I've just seen this argument about being closeminded thrown at anyone who has faith but it can be the other way around too. Even just a little bit.
@x_Butterflies_and_Hurricanes_x -
"You say that faith and comfort is not a sequitor to truth, but we don't know the truth."
It depends on what you mean when you say "truth." The truth is only ever the most logical conclusion given the evidence. Might something turn up down the road that makes us change our minds? Sure. But even then it will still be the most logical conclusion given what we know. My whole point is that belief in god is far and away not even close to being the most logical conclusion. And what is comfortable gets us nowhere close to what is logically more likely. It has nothing to do with what is true in any sense.
"Couldn't someone have PUT the matter there?"
Yes. Is that the best explanation for what we observe? Not at all.
"Didn't someone have to create the matter?"
No, and you even concede you know why. :P
"But all the discoveries made by science further strengthen my views that there has to be something more out there."
Is there anything that could conflict that view?
"it would be nice to also hear from some athiest that there might be a God."
I'm open to the idea given suitable evidence. But my openness does not mean I can suffer lazy thinking on the subject or that it is not dangerous. You've read all my arguments on this. :S
" I do really like the phrase that Science answers the how and religion answers the why. "
But religion doesn't have answers, not believable ones anyway. :( If I say the universe came into being because in another universe a kid dropped a marble down the drain...that's an "answer", but it's not one that we have any reason to believe...which means it's just a fantasy. Trust me, I'm an arts major, so fantasy has its place...but not as a substitute for reality.
"I still think something had to put it there."
What would it take to dissuade you? What more could I possibly do?
"Or hey, maybe God is hydrogen"
If your beliefs purge bad reasoning and are simply down to assigning different names to what we know, ok. But it seems as if you're trying to extend "god is hydrogen" into "god the creator is out there." These are different ideas. :(
" I do see a little bit of closemindedness against religion"
How so? How does disagreeing for valid reasons differ in appearance from rejecting good reasons out of dependency on my own (close-mindedness). After all...isn't it you saying that you believe in god, at least in part, because that gives you comfort? My beliefs do not comfort me - I just want to know that they map out reality as closely as I am able. And I'll change them if evidence comes along.
I know I may come off as a dick, but I'm not. It's just very hard to disagree and criticize the reasoning of nice people without doing that.
JT
This reminds me of a one act play I've read, I think by Richard Orloff...it posits that earth and all we know is just a science fair project by a being in another universe (or something like that)....I found it amusing.
@Zerowing21 - No you don't come off as a dick, just someone who has fierce beliefs which is cool. I respect that. I was joking about the God being hydrogen btw. :P
"Is there anything that could conflict that view?"
Of course. Things conflict my views all the time. But just like with science when we find something that doesn't quite fit with a theory that we once knew, I can still think about it and either say, no I don't think God played a hand in this, or yes God did. I've said it before in a couple of my blog posts but most of the time I just think God is one huge genius to come up with the things He has.
"I'm open to the idea given suitable
evidence. But my openness does not mean I can suffer lazy thinking on
the subject or that it is not dangerous. You've read all my arguments
on this. :S"
I have read all your arguments on this. And I agree with the arguments you've made, but because you've really pointed out the dangerous thinking that some religious people have. But like I said, most people aren't like the examples you've posed. For example, I'm not about to go jump off a bridge because some book told me that God said it was a good idea. (Ok I'm making that up but you get the idea actually I quite dislike the bible and I think its the cause of a lot of religious trouble these days.) But as far as evidence for a God goes, I don't think there really can be evidence. Either there is or there isn't but it depends on your mind set. For me, I can't look at a mountain and not believe in God. Not because I don't understand the concepts on how that mountain got there, because goodness knows if I didn't believe in plate tectonics I couldn't be a geologist. O_O I guess all I can say is, it's just a feeling. And I know you said that feelings don't justify truth. But to address that question of truth, I guess that I believe most science to be truth (by most I mean, all good honest science, not something that someone made up the data for... that's bad science) I'm really a big picture religionist though, so I think my views differ from what most of what you've been exposed to. If that makes any sense.
"What would it take to dissuade you? What more could I possibly do?"
Why do you want to dissuade me so? I do agree with most of what you have to say. Is it such a bad thing that some people believe in God? It's bad when people take it to extreme levels but I don't think having some level of spirituality is a bad thing.
All in all though, I can't say, oh I have a testimony of when God touched my life- this is my evidence. However I do feel awe at this Earth. Maybe I just need someone to credit it too and that's all, its not something thats explainable. Which isn't good evidence and I know that. I actually think that we think in very similar ways I think the one difference is that I believe in God and you don't.
Either way though, you're not being a dick by debating. I welcome it, because it helps expand my knowledge and understand other views.