(October 14, 2010 at 12:37 pm)Chuck Wrote: Certainly one's religious beliefs does not always conflict with doing science. But to an person from outside his field seeking his expert opinion, his religious pursuation does add an element of uncertainty to his scientific objectivity which could only be dispelled by consulting the concensus opinion of peers in his field.
That is true whether or not one does hold to a religious belief. Surely within the scientific community, there are those who cannot be reasoned with because they "know it all". The key is to reserve judgement until all the i's are dotted and t's crossed, so to speak. After all, scientists have a reputation for integrity to maintain. And no scientist wants to be publicaly refuted. That is yet another reason why peer review is so important.
