Revisit

*Some of the following topics I've already discussed, but to avoid the urge to filter my ideas as to not contradict previous ones, I haven't read my earlier posts on these topics.

Science is a means by which man tries to gain knowledge. It is not the only means, but is generally viewed as the most objective, which leads many to call it the most powerful. It's not foolproof, nor is it always concrete, but it is one of the strongest foundations we have on which to build.

As we've often discussed, science and religion often come into conflict. However, they can work together and provide what I believe to be the most powerful evidence of truth we can attain. When God reveals Himself through faith and science, at least for me, it provides a great argument for truth being found.

Experiments are to science what problems are to life. When we as humans are untested, we tend to grow weak. Likewise, when science is untested, it loses its strength for argument. Experiments, like human trials, get to the problems that need to be solved and determine if we have the knowledge and abilities to solve them. In the end, we always learn something new about ourselves or the world in which we live, whether we get a positive or negative answer to our hypothesis. A negative is still an answer providing new learning, it just requires that we continue searching for the ultimate truth, whether it be in science or in life.

(Warning: I may be taking a controversial stance soon. Feel free to question, but please consider first.)

I think man is ultimately the final arbiter of scientific truth. Let me qualify that by saying that God is Truth and the provider of Truth, but scientific truth is unique to man. God created it, He understands it, but to be perfectly honest and blunt, He doesn't need it. God gave us science as a tool to seek Him. Many don't use it that way, but I truly believe that was His intent. However, He doesn't want us to understand Him completely, at least not from what I gather in my understanding of His Word. God wants us to seek Him continually, and eventually we'll find, but I don't think that will happen in this life. Because He doesn't need science to understand Truth, I think God leaves it up to man to figure it out. That's why we're limited by dichotomies between induction and deduction, by the need for definitions to establish a foundation with which to begin.

Objectivity is important to science because science seeks to discover universal truths. By remaining unbiased and objective, truth is sought that cannot always be discovered through arts and other disciplines that are by nature more subjective. While these disciplines can still lead us closer to truth, it can be much more easily argued that bias taints our understanding outside of science.

Skepticism is important because it forces us to keep thinking. When we accept ideas and stop questioning, we stop developing new thoughts. We stop finding errors and fixing them. We come to believe that our way of thinking is right and perfect, when chances are we have many flaws to be discovered and fixed. Skepticism is important because no one really knows what is true.

Science seeks to employ axioms much like mathematics does. We recognize patterns in the natural world that have not been contradicted, but without examining every case, we have to accept that our theory is just a theory. However, we have to base science on some set of beliefs, so until we prove otherwise, our axioms and theories are the best we have to work with.