Devote those neurons to new ideas that better explain the data.” “Don’t waste neurons on what doesn’t work. “The hard but just rule is that if the ideas don’t work, you must throw them away,” The great science communicator Carl Sagan wrote. Not only that, a willingness to be wrong frees a scientist to pursue any avenue opened by evidence, even if that evidence doesn’t support his or her original hunch. Such an inclination is liberating, for it allows him or her to investigate potential answers - however unlikely they may be - to the difficult questions inspired by this vast, wondrous universe. Indeed, says Steven Ross Pomeroy in his Scientific American blog post, " The Key to Science (and Life) is Being Wrong."Ī good scientist must be willing to be wrong. Scientists always are open to having their ideas about reality disproved. That's because science is never completely certain. If so, you've got a religious attitude, even if you don't consider yourself to be religious. (For more along this line, check out my previous post about the burden of proof.)Īre you sure you're right about something? Whether it is going to rain tomorrow whether space aliens have visited Earth whether God exists. We should respect objective truth more, and our personal ideas less. To accept miniscule evidence as proof of a big claim is demeaning to it, an insult. But science knows that reality exists beyond the bounds of what we humans find comfortable.īig claims demand big evidence, big proof. "Jesus rose from the dead, just as I will." "The guru is all powerful, capable of saving my soul." Ideas such as these comfort believers. Skeptics love truth more than the comfort of a reassuring feeling. Sacrilege! Which is why skeptics are the true devotees of a God that they doubt exists, not those who embrace blind faith. We've deified an emanation of our own mind, a desire to believe in something, rather than what truly exists. We're interested in embracing our own beloved unproven assumption, not reality, not the highest truth. Assuming something to be true without excellent evidence to back the assumption up means we aren't really interested in truth. Since God usually is considered by religious people to be the highest truth in the cosmos, blind belief in miracles is insulting to any God which might actually exist. In other words, we are pushed to see reality as it is, not as how we want it to be, or prefer it to be. We can't get away with merely self-centeredly saying "I know." A scientific way of looking at the world challenges us to say "This is the way things are, because." This is the beauty of science and the scientific method: it is the best way to become egoless. Truth should be our goal, not blind belief.īelieving in miracles, or God, or any other supernatural phenomenon without good reason/evidence means that we're more interested in the subjective products of our own mind than in the Big Wide World of objective reality that exists beyond our personal notions about it. I know, because I used to be one of those who stare at a mental wall and believe there is nothing on the other side. However, actually it does, because religiosity blinds people to what they would be able to see clearly, if they didn't have a wall of dogma standing between them and reality. What I said is so obvious, it doesn't seem like it needs to be said. That's why objective evidence is needed: to protect against self-delusion, tricks of the mind. The human brain is capable of massive feats of self-deception. Remember what I noted in last night's post: anecdotal evidence isn't persuasive proof. So let us know about this proof, which somehow has gone unnoticed by everybody but you. Gosh, if there was demonstrable proof of ANY miracles in the world - Christian, Buddhist, RSSB, whatever - you'd think this would be front page news.īut this hasn't happened. G, please share the proof of RSSB miracles. Sorry Peaceseeker, if you want proof of the RSSB miracles all you have to do is do a Google search, it's funny how there is positive news about RSSB on Google but Brian doesn't incorporate it on here. But when there is false news about RSSB he's quick along with the other bloggers to incorporate it here. Rssb hostel 6 reservations full#In tune with the Christmas season, which is full of talk about unproven religious miracles, yesterday "G" left a comment on my " Where have all the miracles gone?" post.
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