(May 1, 2015 at 11:00 am)Hatshepsut Wrote:(May 1, 2015 at 1:44 am)Nestor Wrote: When predictions are made on the basis of an enormous body of facts and mathematical principles, they're usually a safe bet...comparing it to religious belief is just downright disingenuous.
Perhaps they are a safer bet. But psychologically, belief in scientific prediction isn't much different than belief in oracles. We take comfort from science in much the same way as pre-scientific societies were reassured by oracles.
It is impossible for you to be more wrong about this.
Science is about finding the truth and the method, if correctly followed, is designed to do away with prejudices.
The idea is that you test an idea to destruction. You do experiments that could disprove it. Then it's opened to peer review for others to check the results.
It is not perfect but it is the best that man has come up with to get to the truth of things and is so far removed from religious dogma as you can get.
There is a reason that the world has progressed so far since the method was started and was held back so much when religion ruled.
You can fix ignorance, you can't fix stupid.
Tinkety Tonk and down with the Nazis.