If someone says science can't explain everything what's the best way to repond?

[Asmodee]

I always love when someone tries to make the claim that you need science AND religion for whatever reason.  At least it's a step up from the normal "religion is/trumps science" claims.

The truth, though, is that meaning is assigned to life by the one living it, not a higher power.  If you believe a higher power assigned meaning to your life the reality is that you CHOSE to allow that higher power to assign meaning to your life, meaning that YOU assigned meaning to your life.  And even if you're right about the higher power existing you're really only having a guess at what meaning it assigned to your life, meaning that, again, it is YOU who assigned that meaning.  Ask a thousand Christians what meaning God has assigned to life and I'm sure you'll get more than one answer.  To be a good person, to serve God in this way or that, to bring as many people into the fold as possible, possibly even that there is no meaning to life, it's only the afterlife that matters.  That you won't get the same answer consistently shows 2 things.  One, that the religious organization hasn't assigned enough importance to the question to assign an answer to their followers, in which case THEY have assigned your life meaning.  And 2, that people are just saying whatever they think the meaning is supposed to be.  So in the end, theist or atheist, it is each one of us that assigns meanings to our own live, or lets someone else do it for us.  But whatever meaning we think life has, that meaning was given us by purely terrestrial sources.

[Incognito]

How about the fact Science answered 99% of the stuff we don't know backed up with facts and evidence

Religion did none of that.

[AceBoogie]

As you've said, someone suggesting that "science cannot explain everything" is simply someone trying to push the 'god of the gaps' argument.

In response to this, I would remind the person of a few things...

1. Some things are simply facts. Regardless of our opinions about those things.

2. Science doesn't attempt to explain everything. Scientists do not claim to know everything. In fact, the very driving force behind science and the scientific method is a lack of understanding about how something works or why it works that way.

3. The scientific method is absolutely the most effective method we have for truly understanding the world around us.

4. Science is constantly expanding and enveloping new concepts and ideas. What was mystery yesterday can become common knowledge tomorrow.

Also, try to understand that this is a bit of a defense mechanism for many religious folks. Saying "Well... science can't explain this!" makes them feel a little more secure in their beliefs. Some people try to invalidate the very concepts of logic and reason themselves because they claim that not everything in life can be "solved" with logic and reason, which, I suppose, has some truth to it.

Many people also claim that science takes the "wonder" out of everything but I find just the opposite to be true. The fact that we are all, essentially, blown up star matter that has changed and evolved and grown through billions of years of evolution and other natural processes is the most wonderful thing of all. It's honestly mind-boggling to think that right now, as I type this, I am on a giant rock in the middle of space rotating around a huge, burning ball of gas that is ninety-three million miles away. If that's not wonderful, I don't know what is.

[robvalue]

The problem with invalidating reason and logic is that you've thrown all your tools away. If you then try to make any argument at all, about anything, about your God or whatever, I can simply say you're using logic so it's invalid.

Logic and reason appear to achieve an awful lot. That's not to say they can achieve everything. But no one has ever claimed that they could, as far as I know.

If in fact we're all mad and nothing means anything, we've lost nothing for trying.

[Asmodee]

As you've said, someone suggesting that "science cannot explain everything" is simply someone trying to push the 'god of the gaps' argument.

In response to this, I would remind the person of a few things...

1. Some things are simply facts. Regardless of our opinions about those things.

2. Science doesn't attempt to explain everything. Scientists do not claim to know everything. In fact, the very driving force behind science and the scientific method is a lack of understanding about how something works or why it works that way.

3. The scientific method is absolutely the most effective method we have for truly understanding the world around us.

4. Science is constantly expanding and enveloping new concepts and ideas. What was mystery yesterday can become common knowledge tomorrow.

Also, try to understand that this is a bit of a defense mechanism for many religious folks. Saying "Well... science can't explain this!" makes them feel a little more secure in their beliefs. Some people try to invalidate the very concepts of logic and reason themselves because they claim that not everything in life can be "solved" with logic and reason, which, I suppose, has some truth to it.

Many people also claim that science takes the "wonder" out of everything but I find just the opposite to be true. The fact that we are all, essentially, blown up star matter that has changed and evolved and grown through billions of years of evolution and other natural processes is the most wonderful thing of all. It's honestly mind-boggling to think that right now, as I type this, I am on a giant rock in the middle of space rotating around a huge, burning ball of gas that is ninety-three million miles away. If that's not wonderful, I don't know what is.

Well spoken.  I would add only that anyone who does claim to be able to explain everything is certainly either a liar or a fool.  Often a bit of both.