Truth

Hello World!

I’m using my daily thoughts and encounters to discover as many things as possible which bring together, rather than divide, our various belief systems and cultures.

“Science has never encountered a barrier, and the only grounds for supposing that reductionism will fail are pessimism on the part of scientists and fear in the minds of the religious” –Peter Atkins

Several of my contemporaries, especially those who know me well enough to be aware of my penchant for finding out about the format of the universe, have asked me how I reconcile science with my religious faith.

My response is to ask them how they think the two juxtapose in the first place. Why should we all take it for granted that you believe in either one or the other, just because great scientists such as Darwin and Galileo found religion, or other deeply ingrained accepted beliefs, to be their first enemy?

The fact of the matter is that we all apply a degree of faith to our lives. Dr Peter Atkins, whose quote above is taken from his book The Limitless Power of Science, is well-known for speaking Atheist views. No, this does not make him a bad person. But the above quote is interesting. Science has never encountered a barrier. Well, so far science may have successfully explained whatever it has set out to. But can science explain everything?

Even Dr Atkins would have to concede that there are many things we have not yet explained with science. Yet. But this is my point. Without any evidence to show that science could ‘explain everything’, even those things it has not yet explained, the affirmation that science can ‘explain everything’ is itself a statement of faith. Faith in the ‘limitless power of science’.

So how does science explain faith? Faith, that is, in anything? Is it a series of chemical reactions on the brain causing us to feel it? How does science explain that feeling? More chemical reactions? Love? Anger? Are we no more than organic robots?

These are questions on which many research hours are spent. But not just by scientists. Every day, thousands upon thousands of us try to work out how we feel. We ask ourselves if we have fallen in love with someone. We try to come to terms with a loss, reconcile a bad feeling, decide if we believe in a God or not.

If your beloved aunt were to bake a cake, how would science explain its existence? A mathematician would be able to calculate its mass, and the proportion of each ingredient. A physicist would be able to tell you how it goes from the sludgy mix we all love licking off the whisk to a fluffy gateau, just from being exposed to 160-degree heat. And a nutritionist would be able to tell you how many sit-ups you would need to do to offset the calories.

But would any of them be able to tell you why your aunt decided to make the cake? Or even which supermarket she bought the ingredients from? No. Well, not yet, Dr Atkins. Perhaps the science of reading minds will one day be possible. Until then, you may just have to have faith in science. Ironic?

However, there are and always will be extremes of belief. Working together though, we might just find out how the glorious power of curiosity and discovery we have can fit in with religion. The truth as we know it does not have to be destroyed by the truth we discover. I expect to touch on the subject of science many, many times in future posts. Scientific truth which I have no desire to refute and no business doing so. After all, scientist or bishop, atheist or believer, all we really want to know is the truth. With this common goal in mind, let us embark on the journey as a race thinking about what we might find, instead of focusing on putting each other down. Respect what we have each discovered, for denouncing each other’s findings as falsehoods can only delay the attainment of our goal.

Thanks for listening, and take care.