A Rant I Indulged in Today...

[ferchrissakes]

Upon reading the following section of an anti-science email I received today, went off a bit on a rant which will prolly only serve to push my religious friend away from me further... but I cannot help myself when I see people thinking so irrationally:

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own. 'Professor, is

Comments

[momus]

Err wha?
I feel like I've walked into the middle of a conversation.
What does the non-existence of cold have to do with religion?

[ferchrissakes]

Yeah, sorry... I took a segment out of the entirety of the email... I will try to add the whole email at some point here if that helps you... or if you want me to... I was just feeling ranty is all.

I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[intertubes]

namely, Taoism, Buddhism, heck, maybe even a little Hinduism... that said, most of the thought here is more philosophy and mythology than religion, so I guess it makes perfect sense. If you look at science in its most extreme forms, namely quantum mechanics, things get very absurd and illogical... but I'm guessing you knew that already.

Re: I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[ferchrissakes]

The beauty of science and logic is that it is fluid and dynamic, essentially it changes with new data and discovery. Sure, in many ways, science could be looked at as rigid in its affect... but it is that rigidity of thinking that often times provides the contrast to the ideas and results that often pop up.

As for ego within the science community, that is a wholly human element within a conceptually dynamic process of analysis. A hypothetical of this would be a scientist who is so proud of an old discovery that he/she'd once made who then dismisses new science out-of-hand because it in some way contradicts either an element or the basis of their own discovery.

I do not agree however, that Buddhism & Hinduism are necessarily reconcilable with science... as things stand... because of examples such as Nirvana and Ganesh.

Re: I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[intertubes]

drop the idea of what Ganesh looks like, and any kind of historical sense, for a minute... and think about what he is by definition. Ganesh is the Remover of Obstacles (I would hope to think that you at least think that luck is real), or the Lord of Beginnings (such as someone who transforms their life through a new beginning, or fresh start, what many Americans are going through right now). Not only that, but the idea of Ganesh is that he is the patron of arts and sciences, and is the godhead of intellect and reason. He is one of the most popular figures in Indian culture, which can be seen in their advanced use of music and computer programming. although he does not bring everyone good fortune, he is often associated with it by millions of humans the world over. so sure, science might say, this guy isn't going to pop out of thin air and drop a sack of gold at your feet, but as an idea he most definitely exists, and even represents the spirit of science to some extent

Re: I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[ferchrissakes]

Sorry to disappoint, but no, I do not think that luck is a thing can be generated, created, or possessed. I think that circumstance and negative result simply sometimes happen within the life one person or another... and sometimes those negative or positive results happen more often to some people than others... according to the rules of averages and the like, this is well within limits of randomness and circumstance. I am also, certain that many people who THINK they are unlucky often times brings their "bad luck" upon themselves by dishing out an abundance of negativity (whether it be in the form of cheating, lying, stealing, violence, betrayal or the like)... or alternatively some people are simply unwilling to function in society in the capacity that is expected of them, which more often than not, leads to them leading seemingly unlucky lives because they have little money and run into greater and greater problems. So, no, to be frank, I think that "luck" is a concept that is most often left to those who are self-centered, self-

a quote

[intertubes]

"The theory of quantum electrodynamics describes nature as absurd from the point of view of common sense. And it agrees fully with experiment. So I hope you can accept nature as she is -- absurd."

--Richard Feynman, (Nobel Prize in Physics)

[633k]

The popular conception of 'dark' has always been 'lacking light', too.

Until we discovered that 'dark' means something and that the universe is primarily, by far, 'dark'...

===

Beliefs like those argued (poorly) in that email are comical.

[ferchrissakes]

Agreed... quite comical... it is really silly to me that I am in a debate where three people are arguing vehemently FOR the points of view and rationale of said email... whereas, I am the sole person who thinks that the entirety of the email of a load of logical hoo-haw.

[633k]

oh, i added ya btw
lol