[MD] Debate on Science_ReligionToday

[ian glendinning]

Robbie, Gav, Khaled, Platt, Case

I'm an atheist, and believe Dawkins misses the point. Gav is right,
too many scientists treat SOMism as a "religion". Worship at the altar
of objectivism and scientific method (intended to advance scientific
knowledge by rigorous disproof).

I've written my views on Dawkins many, many times.
http://www.psybertron.org/index.php?s=dawkins

Case, I agree, it's worth comparing Dawkins with what a theologian
might say, about the more mystical MOQism bits that don't fit
simplistic SOMism.

Ian

On 11/21/06, Platt Holden <pholden at davtv.com> wrote:
> Hi Robbie, All
>
> I read the article with a deep sense of sadness tinged with anger. Here
> are a group of supposedly "the best and brightest" preaching the gospel
> according to the church of scientism and claiming they have "a monopoly
> on truth." Richard Dawkins, who wrote "The God Delusion" and a hero
> among atheists, is no less a absolutist than the Rev. Jerry Farwell,
> and twice as arrogant. These people have no clue about art and beauty,
> not to mention Pirsig's assessment that:
>
> "The reality science explains is that 'reality' which follows
> mechanisms and programs. That other worthless stuff which doesn't
> follow mechanisms and programs we don't pay any attention to." (lila,
> 11)
>
> That "other worthless stuff" is only what we live for!
>
> Best,
> Platt
>
>
> > NY Times weekly Tuesday's Science Section today had a by "George
> > Johnson" article devoted to the Science/ Religion debate that reminds
> > one of discussions that appear in this group periodically.
> >
> >   The article quoted Dr. Steve Weinberg, "the more the universe seems
> >   comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless", then he goes
> >   further: "Anything that we scientists can do to weaken the hold of
> >   religion should be done and may in the end be our greatest
> >   contribution to civilization."
> >
> >   Dr. Rich Dawkins (Oxford Evolutionary biologist) and conferee at the
> >   reported on event is author of the National best seller book "The God
> >   Delusion."
> >
> >   The article makes the point that when scientists periodically convert
> >   from experimentation, problem solving, fact and evidence gathering to
> >   the God justification for natural phenomena than their most productive
> >   life as a creative cutting edge scientist are usually about over.
> >
> >   The article begins with another Steve Weinberg...Nobel Laureate,
> >   physics quotation, "The world need to wake up from its long nightmare
> >   of religious belief". Moreover, Dawkins believes religious education
> >   is "brain-washing" and "Child abuse."
> >
> >   One speaker after another lined up to present the general message
> >   challenging scientists to be less timid about challenging unverifiable
> >   teachings about nature based only on scripture and belief. Science's
> >   core being: intellectual honesty, said Sam Harris, a doctoral student
> >   in Neuroscience and the author of "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror
> >   and the Future of Reason" and "Letter to a Christian Nation."
> >
> >   Another profound moment was Nobelist, chemistry by Sir Harold Krot's:
> >   call for  the John Templeton Foundation to give its next prize for
> >   "progress in spiritual discoveries" to an atheist.  I myself would
> >   wish to nominate the 14th Dalia Lama for this prize.
> >
> >   Does anything in this post contain information that might conflict
> >   with our societies social immune system? If so you might try writing a
> >   letter to the Editor of the Time's science page very soon!. An
> >   unedited video of the reported on proceedings will be posted on the
> >   web at tsntv.org
> >
> >   If this subject interests anyone they should examine the source: page
> >   D1 of Nov. 21, 2006 of the N. Y. Times...the newspaper.
>
>
>
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