(June 8, 2014 at 5:37 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:Quote:I think being truthful and trying to know the truth depends on how tolerant you are with other ideas and opinions.. how strong you are to change your mind if discovered that you are wrong .. how brave you are to say I don’t know .. and how deep you are to open your mind for others and hear their opinions with the possibility that they can be right..
Excellent point.
This has always struck me at the fundamental division between science and religion. Naturally, the occasional religionist will admit to error, the usual outcome of which is to either change faiths or (more sensibly) to abandon faith entirely. But such occurrences are about as rare as pandas. Converts don't make up a significant percentage of any religion (I except the recent waves of nuttiness like Jediism and Wicca). It can be said with some justice that 'stuck on wrong' is the default status of religion.
Science, on the other hand, is utterly and absolutely dependent on error. Or, more accurately, on finding and fixing errors. This is the process which brings human beings closer to the truth. Granted, there are individual scientist who can be just as pigheaded about changing their minds - even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary - as religionists are about changing theirs. But again, this is rare. If scientists didn't accept new ideas on a more or less regular basis, we'd be looking at astrological charts to find propitious days for space launches, or trying to cure cancer with 'healing' crystals.
'I know because God told me' is the credo of religion. 'I don't know, but I'm going to bloody well find out' is what makes science work.
Boru
Great thinking.
You know what I think about scientists and religionists?
I think being arrogant in accepting the truth has nothing to do with a religion or scientific facts. I think it depends on a person's integrity and personality... how decent you are when dealing with knowledge.
people who stick with their knowledge while they know for sure that they are wrong are injust to themselves.. and those people can be theist, religious, atheists, scientists.. that type of personality can be seen in various styles..
and shutting the truth .. is harmful for religion, god, big bang theory, atheists .. ONLY
It can also obstructs science , political issues, justice in the world.. many things can be affected.
thanx for that great thought
