Science has clearly won in many past disputes with widespread traditional Christian beliefs.
1) Science won in the dispute over the
age of the earth. The date 4004 B.C. was at the top of the first page of the
Bible I had when I was a boy. That was considered to be the date the world was
created as depicted in the first two chapters of Genesis.
In spite of a few “young-earthers” still around, most modern
people, including most Christians, readily acknowledge the age of the earth as
being far, far older than 6,027 years. Science unquestionably won that dispute.
2) Science also won
the dispute over the shape and centrality of the earth. Hardly anyone takes the
claims of “flat-earthers” seriously; they are treated as a curiosity (as in this article on
the LiveScience website).
And despite the persecution of Giordano Bruno (1548~1600)
and Galileo (1564~1642), does anyone today (other than perhaps some
flat-earthers) affirm the
Ptolemaic view that Earth is the center of the universe? Science undeniably won
again.
3) Science is winning the dispute over
the biological evolution of humans. Partly because of the literal
interpretation of the creation story/stories of Genesis, joined with the belief
in a “young” earth, traditional Christians long opposed the theory of the
biological evolution of homo sapiens.
According to the latest figures I could find, nearly all
scientists (97%) say humans and other living things have evolved over time.
That is far higher than the percentage of the general public who “believe” in
evolution. But the latter will continue to shrink, and science will again be
the obvious “winner.”
Science is also winning contemporary disputes as well. Consider just a couple of examples.
1) It will soon be
two years since vaccinations for covid-19 began to be used by the general
public, but there is a sizeable segment of the population that has spurned the
vaccinations. In the U.S., about one-fifth of the population is still completely
unvaccinated and fewer than 70% are “fully” vaccinated.
In spite of all the “scientific” tests and precautions
taken, many have accepted non-scientific “myths” to discredit the “facts” (see this website, for
example) and to refuse vaccination. But science has won this dispute also: there
is ample evidence that vaccinations greatly reduced covid-19 deaths.
2) One of the most prevalent, and serious, ongoing disputes
currently is regarding global warming. According to this
NASA.gov website, “There is unequivocal
evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate. Human activity is the
principal cause.” 97% of scientists believe this.
But, the general public’s views are quite different: according
to Pew Research only 57% see global warming as a serious problem, and among
Republicans that falls to 25% (compared to 83% of Democrats). However,
eventually science will certainly win this debate also. Science always wins.**
When it comes to questions of Why? though, science
doesn’t have the answer. As I said at the beginning, science wins in matters
pertaining to knowledge of the physical world. But there is a “metaphysical” world
as well.
The latter deals with reality “beyond” the physical world that can be
known by the senses, which is all science can deal with. Science can only examine/explain
the nature of what can be seen, measured, and explored by the senses.
“Metaphysics” deals with questions about why there is something rather
than nothing, and with matters of meaning and value. This is the world of the
three “transcendental” values of truth, beauty, and goodness. And
there, science/scientists qua science/scientists have nothing to say.
These values can only be explored by philosophy and/or
religion, not by science. So while it is true that science always wins in
matters pertaining to the physical world, science isn’t even a player in the
more important “game” of life, which is linked to reality beyond, as well as of,
this physical world.
_____
** See this related 2017 article, “Climate
change deniers, science always wins in the end,” on The Hill’s website. And
for the few of you who want to think more, and more deeply, about this matter,
I highly recommend the following article in the December 2022 issue of BioScience:
“World
Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency 2022.”
