Science Vs. Religion, Revisited

I have posted on this topic on a handful of occasions. The first such post was November 6, 2011. Unfortunately, not much has changed. The topic keeps popping up with the same old misunderstandings and misdirections. Among the recent examples is a post on on the Patheos aggregator. Connor Woods March 5, 2012 post, "Religious Americans: science is mostly okay", rehashes a few specific fallacies but also adds a slightly new perspective to one of them.

Despite the blog being titled Science on Religion, it is rather light on the science. Wood falls for the assumption that if most Americans are religious and most believers in America claim to be supportive of science then the conflict between science and religion must be overly hyped. Not necessarily. As I have previously pointed out the fact that individuals can find ways to reconcile different and contradictory views does not mean there is no conflict. Even though individuals can and do find ways to mitigate these contradictions in their own minds does not mean that science and religion as institutions are not still by their nature opposites. They do clash and must clash.

The interesting twist doesn't seem to be fully understood or even noticed by Wood. He points out that the average American supports science right up to the point that scientific findings fail to fit their personal beliefs. It never occurs to Wood that this actually indicates the opposite of what he is trying to demonstrate. Supporting science only so long as it does not make you uncomfortable is not really an affirmation of science. Science is intended to be as objective as possible. The scientific method does not change to accommodate your feelings.

I don't want anyone to become less supportive of science but I also see no reason to make false claims about public support for science. To my way of thinking this confirms that the two institutions and ways of thinking are not compatible. The "a-la-carte" approach to religion seems fairly common and does not seem to reduce the effectiveness or appeal of faith. On the other hand, this approach outright negates scientific study.

Religion is still entirely subjective and unfounded. It continues to be a top down institution that resists change and encourages ignorance. Science still remains the only method capable of leading to an outlook that is as objective and verifiable as humanly possible. They are not equals and they are not compatible.