“I would like to free the science-loving public from small-minded scientific fideism that stifles creative imagination and spiritual development and often precipitates a loss of faith in science. I would like to free religion to make its impact — to fight its battles for human rights and dignity and a caring society and against illusion and despair — without having simultaneously to fight a rear-guard action against those who caricature it as standing to opposition to scientific knowledge and intellectual sophistication. I would like to wrest both science and religion from the dogmatists of scientific atheism and religious fundamentalism.” (Kitty Ferguson, Science Writer)
Hoo boy. A decorated science writer wants to loose the hounds of religion and spiritualism, by breaking the fetters of science. And I am a scientist and an atheist and I have never heard of scientific atheism. And dogma? Where do I find this. I would like to read about it.
Science is naturally atheistic because of a famous Franciscan monk, named William, who was from Ockham, so he is usually referred to as William of Ockham. His contribution to knowledge and understanding has come to be known as Ockham’s Razor, namely “that the simpler of two explanations is more probably true and that we should not needlessly assume the existence of additional entities.” In other words, with the razor we cut away the nonessential. We have been doing that since William’s time (ca. 1287–ca. 1347), and what has been cut away was all superstition including any influence by “gods.” So, ironic, isn’t it. The man responsible for science being atheistic was a Franciscan monk!
Science stifles creative imagination? Really? She hasn’t been paying attention to all of the really bizarre ideas put forward by scientists over the ages. Talk about imagination! Prior to the advent of science everything that happened was due to the actions of some god. That is a creative imagination that needed stifling.
Wait a minute . . . religion is fighting battles for human rights and dignity and a caring society and against illusion and despair? WTF? I have never heard of this religion. To which is she referring, I wonder. It certainly isn’t Christianity which teaches we are born corrupt and are destined to go to Hell. Oh, and you can’t save yourself, you need their help. So much for human rights and dignity.
I wonder what planet Ms. Ferguson is original from.
Uncommon Sense 
… when the hell did religion EVER fight for human rights and dignity? Religion is responsible for much human suffering through history, and no one loves the boot of oppression more than the religious.
Someone has such an open mind their brains are falling out…
Also, religion is very much anti science. And very much anti intellectual. As intellect leans towards science, which is verifiable, repeatable, and well, just makes a lot more sense than goddidit.
This argument is so out there, I don’t see any sense to it. I’d almost want to ask for some clarification, but it would probably just be more stupider.
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Comment by shelldigger — May 16, 2023 @ 6:06 pm |
By scientific atheism, she probably means some of the New Atheist (my science goes hand-in-hand with my atheism) types such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Lawrence Krauss, Jerry Coyne, and company along with the general Internet atheists who still argue for the conflict thesis. She argues many average Joes have this perception as well.
She might be advocating the complexity thesis, which has wide support from historians of science and philosophy who generally reject the conflict thesis. Although she could also be arguing they are independent areas.
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Comment by consoledreader — May 16, 2023 @ 7:15 pm |
Well, that is certainly loose terminology. Just what about atheism is scientific? I think that a claim of atheistic science is valid (all promulgated by a Franciscan monk, William of Ockham, ironically).
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Comment by Steve Ruis — May 17, 2023 @ 10:18 am |
good grief, what world does she live in? Not the one I do. Religion fighting for human rights? There are christian sects working hard in Africa right now to try to influence governments to make homoseuxality not only illegal but subject to the death penalty.
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Comment by grouchyfarmer — May 16, 2023 @ 11:02 pm |
Well, this is the benefit of having a religion based upon imagination. You can imagine it to be any which way you want!
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Comment by Steve Ruis — May 17, 2023 @ 10:07 am |
And at its core, this is exactly what Christianity is … a religion based upon imagination. Great comparison!
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Comment by Nan — May 17, 2023 @ 10:23 am |