Stephen T-B
Stephen T-B
Thoughts on distinguishing between the two.
Science is tentative.
Pseudoscience is assertive.
If a statement which purports to be a statement of fact cannot by refuted - if it is assertive -then it is not scientific. It is the expression of an opinion or a belief, and one person's right to uphold it is no greater than another person's right to reject it.
This applies to every statement - no matter who made it or where it is found - regarding the truth to be found in sacred texts, and the nature, attributes and behaviour of gods and all other supernatural beings.
"God is good and all powerful".
Refuted by: "He is either not good or he is not all powerful; if he were, there'd be no evil in the world."
Countered by: "His goodness is beyond our comprehension".
And that is an irrefutable statement. Unfalsifiable, and therefore an opinion/belief.
It is not a fact.
Similarly “God created the Earth in six days, 6,000 years ago”.
Refuted by: “Ice cores, varves, the fossil record, the geological column and radiometric dating methods show that to be false.”
Countered by “Nothing is beyond the power of God to accomplish, and the Bible being true, every science-based evidence which suggests it isn’t must therefore be flawed.”
Creation “science” is based on this assertion; this statement of belief.
(I should add that although scientific dating methods appear to be cast iron, they represent the limits of our present knowledge; in the light of what we know today, they appear to be cast iron, but they are, in fact, tentative and might, at some later date, be shown to be unreliable.)
Science is tentative.
Pseudoscience is assertive.
If a statement which purports to be a statement of fact cannot by refuted - if it is assertive -then it is not scientific. It is the expression of an opinion or a belief, and one person's right to uphold it is no greater than another person's right to reject it.
This applies to every statement - no matter who made it or where it is found - regarding the truth to be found in sacred texts, and the nature, attributes and behaviour of gods and all other supernatural beings.
"God is good and all powerful".
Refuted by: "He is either not good or he is not all powerful; if he were, there'd be no evil in the world."
Countered by: "His goodness is beyond our comprehension".
And that is an irrefutable statement. Unfalsifiable, and therefore an opinion/belief.
It is not a fact.
Similarly “God created the Earth in six days, 6,000 years ago”.
Refuted by: “Ice cores, varves, the fossil record, the geological column and radiometric dating methods show that to be false.”
Countered by “Nothing is beyond the power of God to accomplish, and the Bible being true, every science-based evidence which suggests it isn’t must therefore be flawed.”
Creation “science” is based on this assertion; this statement of belief.
(I should add that although scientific dating methods appear to be cast iron, they represent the limits of our present knowledge; in the light of what we know today, they appear to be cast iron, but they are, in fact, tentative and might, at some later date, be shown to be unreliable.)