Science and Religion

It's a common argument amongst biblical literalists that science is simply the religion of all us ungodly apostates who believe the world is more than 6,000 years old. This argument, like all of their others, is pitiably wrong.

The kernel of the difference between science and religion is a concept called falsifiability. Scientists always know exactly what new fact would destroy their theory and force them into the uncharted wilds. If someone had produced an apple that fell up, for instance, Newton's attempt at a theory of gravity would have been devastated. When asked what could disprove evolution, the great biologist J. B. S. Haldane responded: "Fossil rabbits in the pre-Cambrian." By contrast, for Creationists there is no new fact that could ever cause them to renounce their theory. Indeed, even when their efforts to use scientific arguments to prove the biblical account are left in tatters - exposed as the frauds and lies they are - the believers go on as if nothing has changed.

What made me linger on this topic was the recent data returned from a NASA probe:

Gravity Probe B uses four ultra-precise gyroscopes to measure two effects of Einstein's general relativity theory — the geodetic effect and frame dragging. According to the mission's principal investigator, the data from Gravity Probe B's gyroscopes confirm the Einstein theory's value for the geodetic effect to better than 1%. In a common analogy, the geodetic effect is similar to the shape of the dip created when the ball is placed on to a rubber sheet. If the ball is then rotated, it will start to drag the rubber sheet around with it. In a similar way, the Earth drags local space and time around with it — ever so slightly — as it rotates. Over time, these effects cause the angle of spin of the satellite's gyroscopes to shift by tiny amounts.

Here is the difference between science and religion reaffirmed. If the results from Gravity B had been data conflicting with predictions, then Einstein would be wrong and the community goes in search of a new theory. Such an even would be traumatic. In fact, people commit suicide over such upheavals, but that doesn't mean that the scientific community averts its eyes from the Truth in order to remain comfortable in their false theory. Truth is their passion. It can never be denied.

So, for those who maintain that science and religion are equivalent, tell me an experiment that could ever falsify god and I'll agree. (ed. see? even my theory of the difference between science and religion is falsifiable!)

Note: Incidentally, falsifiability is why string theory is math and not science. Under current energy constraints, it is an unfalsifiable theory. Build me an orbital accelerator and then I'll call it science.