Posted by Bob DeMarco on February 03, 19102 at 13:07:03:

In Reply to: science, religion and superstition posted by clifford sharp on September 24, 19100 at 06:17:01:

: Writing at the beginning of the twentieth century Frazer gave a dramatic simile of the relationship between science, religion and superstition likening them to three intertwined threads and forecasting that svience would eventually eliminate first superstition and then religion. Today a century later while the scientific method has provided humanity with almost unbelievable power over its environment for construction and destruction both superstiotion and, in many parts of the world, religion also continue largely as prevalent as before.

: During the last hundred years that method has provided us with persuasive concepts of the nature of the atom at one end of the scale and with ideas regarding how and when the universe started at the other. But we are no nearer any answer to the, for us, more fundamental question of Why? which remains the domain of both superstition and religion both of which provide the myths (ideas held for reasons of faith not fact) by which we live.

: If it is the case that by its very nature the scientific method cannot address that question and we must just accept that the Universe exists we need to construct a plausible reason why conscious life should have evolved on this tiny scrap of matter we call earth. Unless and until that is established any system of human values by which humanity can continue to exist must remain problematic. Is it not time, at the beginning of a new century, to concentrate our minds on that?

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