[MD] Dawkins a Materialist (is watching?)

[Ron Kulp]

  "It is sometimes argued that even scientific knowledge is dependent on
'faith' - for example, faith that the researcher responsible for an
empirical conclusion is competent, and honest. Indeed, distinguished
chemist and philosopher Michael Polanyi argued that scientific discovery
begins with a scientist's faith that an unknown discovery is possible.
Scientific discovery thus requires a passionate commitment to a result
that is unknowable at the outset. Polanyi argued that the scientific
method is not an objective method removed from man's passion. On the
contrary, scientific progress depends primarily on the unique capability
of free man to notice and investigate patterns and connections, and on
the individual scientist's willingness to commit time and resources to
such investigation, which usually must begin before the truth is known
or the benefits of the discovery are imagined, let alone understood
fully.

Faith by definition is not related to proof. The main focus of faith is
trust. It could then be argued that until one possesses all knowledge in
totality one will need faith in order to believe an understanding to be
correct or incorrect in total affirmation.

 Descartes  sought to challenge this idea in his statement "I think,
therefore I am." It has however been argued that even the statement "I
think" is based on faith in the existence of a thing called "thought."

-----Original Message-----
From: moq_discuss-bounces at moqtalk.org
[mailto:moq_discuss-bounces at moqtalk.org] On Behalf Of pholden at davtv.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 7:41 PM
To: moq_discuss at moqtalk.org
Subject: Re: [MD] Dawkins a Materialist (is watching?)



> Jos Quoted Dawkins:
> "All of us believe in evidence in our own lives, whatever we may 
> profess with our amateur philosophical hats on."

Reminds me of Ben Franklin's observation: "So convenient a thing it is
to be a rational creature, since it enables us to find (evidence)or make
a reason for everything one has a mind to do (or believe)." Parens
added.

I recall a time not long ago when the scientific rationale and evidence
for eugenics was indisputable. Those who worship at the altar of science
today might want to take note as well as ponder the defect in the
thinking of people like Dawkins that Pirsig reveals in Lila. 

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