Can Science Explain Everything? [Spirituality & Religion]
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No.
No.
61-69, M
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Tsondru · M
Attempting to prove religious truths with science is problematic on both scientific and religious grounds.
It’s problematic on scientific grounds because it entails a category error. Science can only study what is testable in experiments with controls and methods of falsification. It’s not like we can study a universe A with these religious truths and then universe B without them. Or we can flip a switch and turn off the religious truths. That is a fundamental property of religious truth. It’s pervasive and eternal.
It’s problematic on religious grounds because it immediately attempts to ground religious experience in materialism— because that is the only currency of science. It’s long standing practice in most faith traditions to approach religious truths through nature and so on. And for good reason, nature is amazing and dazzling. But that’s not a proof of religious truths through science. The religious truths are still established through mechanisms of religious faith and practice. Not science.
Of course science doesn’t explain everything. Nor can it. Which is why we have metaphysics and religion. And of course religion doesn’t explain everything. Nor can it. Which is why we have science. Our own choices reveal this to be true. We don’t use religious texts to determine which blood pressure medicine to take. And we don’t read from a chemistry text at a funeral.
It’s problematic on scientific grounds because it entails a category error. Science can only study what is testable in experiments with controls and methods of falsification. It’s not like we can study a universe A with these religious truths and then universe B without them. Or we can flip a switch and turn off the religious truths. That is a fundamental property of religious truth. It’s pervasive and eternal.
It’s problematic on religious grounds because it immediately attempts to ground religious experience in materialism— because that is the only currency of science. It’s long standing practice in most faith traditions to approach religious truths through nature and so on. And for good reason, nature is amazing and dazzling. But that’s not a proof of religious truths through science. The religious truths are still established through mechanisms of religious faith and practice. Not science.
Of course science doesn’t explain everything. Nor can it. Which is why we have metaphysics and religion. And of course religion doesn’t explain everything. Nor can it. Which is why we have science. Our own choices reveal this to be true. We don’t use religious texts to determine which blood pressure medicine to take. And we don’t read from a chemistry text at a funeral.