On Thu, Mar 14, 2013 at 6:16 PM, S. Dale Morrey <[email protected]> wrote: > Religion and Science are methods of seeking answers to different questions. > One cannot correctly substitute for the other. > > Put another way, > Science asks HOW. > Religion asks WHY. >
Tell that to the zealots that are trying to change the nation's school curriculum. They misunderstand the simple concept of fact vs theory/belief. Yes, theory != belief, the former being testable--but neither is strictly fact. So long as we always teach things only so far as we know them (qualified appropriately), teachers should be free and encouraged to present any/all information. I loathed my professors that would teach their own opinion as if it were fact--*without* qualifying it. When instead they said "this is my opinion..." or "here's the current theory and supporting facts so far..." or "this group of people believe xyz about the matter..."--leaving me to judge the information for myself--that was great, and how it should be done. Some people adamantly exchange the word "know" in place of "believe", further confusing the issue. Knowledge *replaces* belief and faith. Once you know something, you have no more need for faith in the matter--it's now a done deal. A person believes because they don't have sufficient evidence to prove something is a fact. Touting a strong belief as "personal knowledge" is not only a lie, but a really weak tactic to attempt to inflate the importance of a belief to others. It can be quite frustrating at times when talking with some people--especially when in my eyes it weakens their argument while simultaneously they perceive it as a strength... I realize that anyone that has studied philosophy could tear the preceding apart to bits. My intention is not to bait such a discussion--just to highlight one piece that is sometimes part of the problem. /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
