Re: Evolution and Creationism

[Richard Tarara <rtarara@SAINTMARYS.EDU>]

Responding to William Beaty:

I think you grossly misrepresent the degree to which science HAS
investigated things like UFOs, ghosts, and all sorts of 'paranormal'
phenomenon.  People like James Randi use scientific methods to continuously
disprove claims of paranormal powers and phenomenon and most major
documented 'strange' events have been investigated 'scientifically'.  Are
there things that have not been explained--of course, but by their very
nature many of the claims you list below are simply not susceptible to
scientific scrutiny.  Even when such is attempted, what comes into play is a
statement I paraphrase from Eugene Hecht's excellent old text PHYSICS IN
PERSPECTIVE --'Science fails for scientific reasons while Magic fails for
magical reasons.'  True believers can never be persuaded by 'scientific
logic' since such is outside the sphere of their belief system.  Likewise
the skeptical scientist will never accept that which cannot be confirmed by
scientific test.

As to the reason for religion--I strongly suspect that most, if not all,
religions can be traced to man's inability to accept his own mortality, that
we will each cease to exist as self-aware, thinking entities at death, and
must therefore create a belief system by which this inevitability can be
circumvented.   I'm sure almost everyone at some point has seriously and
deeply considered the possibility of non-existence and most have found it
absolutely terrifying--the 'need' for religion is therefore not surprising.


Rick Tarara

----- Original Message -----
From: William Beaty <billb@ESKIMO.COM>
> Is there life after death?  Is there an "invisible world" where souls,
> gods, etc., reside?  A world which is not part of the material world known
> to physics?  Are "near death" experiences a taste of this, or are they
> just hallucinations?  Do angels whisper advice and tell us secrets?  Do
> miracles occur, or are they invariably hoaxes?  Are ghosts and hauntings a
> product of delusion, or are they genuine unexplained events?
>
>
> All of the above questions are usually derided as being outside of
> science.  I believe that the solution to the creation/evolution debate can
> be found if we pursue answers to the above questions.  However, if we
> should attempt to start a research project to look into them, colleagues
> will laugh and refuse to fund such a thing.  This doesn't mean that the
> questions are unanswerable.  It just means that the concensus of
> scientists as expressed in peer review is that such questions SHALL NOT be
> explored.