Losing My Sciligion (aka science as a religion)

That’s me in the corner

That’s me in the spotlight

Losing my Sciligion…

It’s a frequent comment these days, “It seems that people have replaced religion with science.” Unfortunately, as is our tendency as human beings, we’ve been far too literal. People have literally replaced religion with science. Replacing one belief system with another.

Science isn’t supposed to be a belief system.

It’s not supposed to get bogged down with dogma and stigma and beliefs.

But it has become that.

There is a ruling class.

There are priests.

There are holy books.

There are even cults of science.

Science has become the new religion, and not in a good wholesome way.

People establish a framework of beliefs and don’t allow logic (aka science) to change their beliefs about their sciligion. We have groups of people being oppressed by scientific dogma. We have people being ostracized for their radical ideas. There are areas of inquiry that will get you laughed out of a room of “scientific” people. Areas of thought that aren’t allowed.

Does that sound like science to you?

Or does it sound more familiar, like old ways of thinking, like, for example, religion.

Science has become, to a great many people, Sciligion.

Think about some of the following statements:

“The bible says…”

“Well science says…”

“This is what C.S. Lewis says about pain…”

“This is what Einstein says about the universe…”

Just because Einstein is quoted as having said something doesn’t make it scientific. You shouldn’t be able to win an argument by saying “Well this is what Carl Sagan believed…” It’s belief, it’s dogma, it’s not the scientific method, it’s the religious method.

We are built to believe. We establish parameters and beliefs within which we process the rest of the world around us… But that is not scientific, that is psychological.

To be truly scientific you have to allow your fundamental concepts to be overturned. You have to allow for your fundamental thesis to be wrong. You have to allow for experiments and evidence to guide you to the answer.

Please don’t get me wrong, belief it important. Belief is powerful. But belief is belief, it is not science. Even if your beliefs are based on science at some point you’ve gone off the rails of fact and wandered into the fields of belief. Everybody has. But the scientifically minding is willing to accept they have done this. The Sciligious on the other hand believes they are above this failing and incapable of being wrong. Sound familiar? Perhaps the Pharisees of the bible could teach a thing of two to the Sciligious of today.

The next time someone challenges your foundation. Don’t correct them. Don’t tell them they’re wrong. Thank them for shaking things up a bit and do the research. Look into the facts. Don’t rebuttal with your beliefs. That’s just the blind leading the blind. If you think you’re scientifically minded, then be scientific.

If you want to operate out of your beliefs, that’s perfectly okay, but don’t call it science. Call it sciligion.

Namaste,

Kevin