From: Hermit (hidden@lucifer.com)
Date: Mon May 06 2002 - 07:57:47 MDT
"Blind faith in science" is a loud statement that the education system has failed the speaker. This statement can be divided into two seriously flawed components, "Faith" and "science."
Let me begin with "Faith." Faith occurs when a person places trust in a thing or person due to belief. To put it somewhat more long-windedly, faith occurs when a person vests trust in person or thing where:[*] evidence exists which throws doubt upon or compels the rejection of trustworthiness.
[*] insufficient evidence exists to compel or suggest trustworthiness.
Thus "faith" is always blind, for the alternative is that sufficient evidence exists to compel rejection, or where the probability exists that a thing should simply be accepted.
Science is not a "thing." Science is an explicit method or process, designed to determine the probability of a thing being true by attempting to disprove hypothesii about a thing. The scientific method is self-correcting (in other words, it applies to itself) and has the value of utility.
The scientific method is the only method we know of which has this capability, although it may use any appropriate tool in this process. Let me introduce the process. From the FAQ section of the BBS (http://virus.lucifer.com/bbs/index.php?board=31) I will cite from FAQ: The Scientific Method (http://virus.lucifer.com/bbs/index.php?board=31;action=display;threadid=11537).
The Scientific Method
1 Pose a question about nature [Some would say, not necessarily as the result of an observation].
2 Collect the pertinent, observable evidence.
3 Formulate an explanatory hypothesis, defining relevant assumptions.
4 Deduce its implications.
5 Test all of the implications experimentally.
6 Accept, reject, or modify the hypothesis based upon the experimental results.
7 Define its range of applicability.
8 Peer review
9 Publish (including methodology, data and analysis)
10 Evaluation and peers continue to test, extend and challenge the hypothesis.
The complete process may take a few days or many lifetimes. The acceptance of the hypothesis by the scientific community requires that the experimental results and their interpretation be verified by independent researchers.
It should be clear that no faith is required to apply the scientific method, indeed, the reverse. It is also not necessary for a hypothesis to be true, only for it to be useful (testable). The scientific method will establish the truth value of any proposed hypothesis. However, the scientific method cannot be applied to anything which cannot be tested, as it is the process of testing a thing which establishes whether it is true.
This question is dealt with in a great deal more detail in FAQ: Faith and truth in science (http://virus.lucifer.com/bbs/index.php?board=31;action=display;threadid=11535).
Once you have read that you will hopefully understand why Virians regard the scientific method as being the most critical and fundamental tool available for rationally discerning useful truths about the world we live in and our interactions with it.
At that point, the reader should be in a better position to examine claims such as the assertion that placing faith in technology is appropriate or rational. I look forward to seeing a discussion about this at some future time.
Kind Regards
Hermit
---- This message was posted by Hermit to the Virus 2002 board on Church of Virus BBS. <http://virus.lucifer.com/bbs/index.php?board=51;action=display;threadid=25345>
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