[Osx-nutters] The separation of church and state.

[Mark Smith]

On 05.12.2007, at 17:54, David Cake wrote:

>> If someone has faith, they are being unscientific. It doesn't matter
>> whether, or not they acknowledge that the basis of their faith is, in
>> principle, "doubtable". (You would have to agree that a scientist is
>> bound to acknowledge this.)
>
> 	Well, no.
> 	I might be pretty damn certain that, say, Pride and Prejudice
> is the most important novel written in English, or Hamlet is the most
> important play. I can even acknowledge that other peoples opinions
> may differ, that its ultimately subjective, but dammit, I'm pretty
> sure that I am correct anyway. Doesn't make me unscientific - its not
> a question on which science can usefully provide an answer.

Come on Dave, you're smarter than that. You *know* that this *is*  
being unscientific (even though this is entirely different to placing  
blind "faith" in a religion). You have to be open to the possibility  
that it could be demonstrated to you that you are wrong. If you accept  
this, then your "current perspective" is not unscientific per se.  
(Doesn't make it scientific either, of course, but lets leave that  
alone.) Religious faith has no room for this kind of contingency.

Mark.