[Krimel on Dawkins] I don't hear any of them arguing that people aren't entitled to hold whatever beliefs they wish but when they start to manipulate the law of the land to promote their ideology that it another story. Fundamentalism is powerful force; a kind of terrorism and I appreciate the efforts of a thoughtful few to speak out against it.
[Mark's observation] I currently work in the field of biological sciences. I would say the ideology of science may manipulate the law. Restrictions on smoking are based on science. The application of individual healthcare, such as fewer mammograms, is manipulative and based on science. Cap and trade is supposedly based on science. It may be difficult to see this because science is accepted as truth. Working in this field I see a different aspect of it. I see a selection of experiments and data to support a theory. Much of this is done subconsciously because we may be more attuned to that which supports one's beliefs. [Krimel] Of course and it isn't all that difficult to see actually. You might have added science teachers across the country have sought to inflict their ideology on the masses of school children. Or, that feminists have sought to inflict their ideology of the freedom of individual moral agents to decide their own fate is ideological tyranny. As a scientist you no doubt know that it is wrong for either scientists or the public at large to take scientific knowledge as anything other than a best guess. It is true that often confidence in the quality of scientific guesses can lead to over confidence and appear to some as arrogance. But in the realm of science that arrogance can be rapidly dispelled at any moment by some new data or some new way of thinking about the data we already have. Yes, paradigm shifts are met with all manner of resistance. But they do happen. In faith based belief systems we almost never hear about paradigm shifts or for than matter have any means of affecting them. [Mark] I could go on, of course, on the ways in which science manipulates, but I'm sure you are aware of these. It is nothing nefarious (usually), but just the result of a deep faith in science. [Krimel] I am happy to acknowledge a degree of faith in science. I have said so, many times in the past. But I would like to point out that much of that "faith" is in the self correcting nature of the ongoing pursuit of science and not in any particular scientific claim. Science does not claim to yield a final truth that cannot be questioned or challenged. In fact it demands quite the opposite. But you are right people of all persuasions vie to influence ideology and to use the tools of government to enforce their ideology. All I or any of us can do is attempt to justify our allegiance to whatever ideology we espouse. That's democracy for you. Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
