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Baraka_Guru · 12-04-2009, 12:49 PM

Isn't rejecting something like science akin to rejecting something like economics?

Why not reject economics? It too lets bad things happen. Let's reject all forms of economics.

But wait, we can't, can we? Economics of some form have been in our culture quite possibly for the entirety of our species. Well, science is the same way. Having the curiosity to know things and how to apply new knowledge to practical applications has probably been in our species for the whole time as well. And we can't just up and reject science.

We can't avoid science or its impact, nor would we want to. The continuing practice of science reveals something new and useful probably every day. Mind you, technology and experimentation has yielded effects that are detrimental to our health and the health of the planet. But science addresses that too, especially in this day and age. We're no longer in the Industrial Age.

I don't think this is the problem here. The problem is a religious--or, more accurately, puritanical--paranoia or sense of persecution in response to advances in science that cut too close, or into, religious dogma, "truth," or text.

Just as some would argue that homosexuality is an abomination, there are religious groups who view certain biological sciences as transgressions. They don't care what they stand to benefit from it. They're obsessed with how it infringes on their sense of faith, no matter how misguided that may be. It's been a while since the dust settled after learning that the earth isn't the centre of the universe, nor is the sun. How long did you think it would take before other scientific discoveries caused conflicts with what people perceive as their unyielding "truth"?

Ironically, this leads them to turn a blind eye to the actual realities of "God's universe."

12-04-2009, 12:49 PM	#30 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Isn't rejecting something like science akin to rejecting something like economics? Why not reject economics? It too lets bad things happen. Let's reject all forms of economics. But wait, we can't, can we? Economics of some form have been in our culture quite possibly for the entirety of our species. Well, science is the same way. Having the curiosity to know things and how to apply new knowledge to practical applications has probably been in our species for the whole time as well. And we can't just up and reject science. We can't avoid science or its impact, nor would we want to. The continuing practice of science reveals something new and useful probably every day. Mind you, technology and experimentation has yielded effects that are detrimental to our health and the health of the planet. But science addresses that too, especially in this day and age. We're no longer in the Industrial Age. I don't think this is the problem here. The problem is a religious--or, more accurately, puritanical--paranoia or sense of persecution in response to advances in science that cut too close, or into, religious dogma, "truth," or text. Just as some would argue that homosexuality is an abomination, there are religious groups who view certain biological sciences as transgressions. They don't care what they stand to benefit from it. They're obsessed with how it infringes on their sense of faith, no matter how misguided that may be. It's been a while since the dust settled after learning that the earth isn't the centre of the universe, nor is the sun. How long did you think it would take before other scientific discoveries caused conflicts with what people perceive as their unyielding "truth"? Ironically, this leads them to turn a blind eye to the actual realities of "God's universe." __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 12-04-2009 at 12:52 PM..