An article over at reason.com claimed that science is a good substitute for God.
“Religious believers tend to be happier than non-religious folk, according to a long line of psychological research. Scientists have suggested several possible explanations for this phenomenon, including the ideas that religion offers a greater sense of control, provides a purpose for life, and reduces uncertainty.
” So if religious belief makes people more satisfied with their lives, why is secularism growing in many countries? A new study offers one possible answer: A belief in scientific and technological progress can also serve as a source of life satisfaction. Indeed, it may even offer more lifetime happiness than religion does.
“The study appeared in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, and the research team that conducted it was led by Olga Stavrova, a psychologist at the University of Cologne. The researchers first did a deep analysis of how the belief in scientific and technological progress affects the life satisfaction of a representative sample of nearly 1,500 Dutch citizens. They then compared life satisfaction measures with belief in sci-tech progress across 72 countries. In both cases, they found ‘a strong belief in scientific–technological progress was associated with an enhanced sense of personal control, which in turn contributed to higher life satisfaction.'”
This, of course, ignores the very basic fact that science and faith are not the same thing. If you have faith in technology or “science” than you do not grok science.
Science has nothing to do with faith or belief but in doubt and the means one goes about whether ones theory is consistent with reality. The late Richard Feynman put it best:
The problem with using science as a substitute for God or any other religious faith, is that religious faith will invade the realm of science. One ceased to be a investigator of how the universe works, and more akin to Thomas Aquinas’ views wherein the Bible was declared perfect, and if the science contradicted it, the science is wrong.
We can see this happening today, especially in the “social sciences”, wherein ideas about “critical theory,” “intersectionalism,” and such have the status of gospel, with the “scientific” journals being nothing more than canticles of a secular faith. Rather than liberate the mind, treating science as a substitute for The Devine, allows religious notions and feeling to invade willy-nilly all other aspects of life. As the veritable Ace of Ace of Spades HQ said:
“The Left’s disbelief in God does not free them from superstition — rather, it frees the superstition to infect all other modes of their thought.”
This new “science” becomes a false science that replaced the presumed false god the “smart set” haughtily rejected. It is nothing more than Cargo Cult Science, and we as a society are suffering from it right now.
