The Science Junto

There is much that is good about science. It has released us from the religious oppression of the past, paved the way for our modern technologies and increased our life spans immensely. However there are elements of modern science that seek to lead us into darkness albeit in most cases unintentionally. Albert Einstein said:

“The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.”

This is very true and if everyday thinking consisted only of common sense, reason and a search for truth, this would not be a problem. However everyday thinking also includes pride, prejudice and dogmatic belief. If reason once prevailed in science, it is today all too often overtaken by dogma based on the loudest voices in the scientific community. Where once scientists talked of testing hypotheses, facts and experimental results, many now talk about “consensus” a word meaning agreement by majority. A majority of people once thought the Earth was the centre of the solar system, but that did not make it true. Today this consensus is being lead by the enormously popular field of environmental science.......

“So” Jeff continued, “in only thirty years our climate alarmists have gone from manmade catastrophic global cooling to manmade catastrophic global warming. They were wrong then and they are wrong now. I’m going to show you that global warming is nothing more than a load of hot air! By the way have you noticed that it’s not politically correct to say global warming any more? Now its climate change. So the alarmists can point to any drought, any cyclone or any flood and say it’s caused by manmade climate change. Fill in the blank they can’t lose with that kind of logic. First let’s consider whether the planet is really warming” Jeff stated, as he presented a graph showing that global temperatures had indeed increased over the latter part of the twentieth century, but the trend had tailed off and there had been no net increase over the last ten years since 1998.........

“So if what I’ve told you is true, why all the fuss about global warming and mass hysteria? First and foremost I blame the media. What really sells newspapers is negative sensationalism. You’ve seen the headlines: “Increasing drought, lost vital ecosystems, rising sea levels, massive floods, spread of disease and malnutrition, species extinctions.” The big cuddly looking polar bear is pictured on a small ice sheet. The polar bear has survived much greater climate changes in the past than the current one but of course this little bit of information is never offered. The worst thing about the media is that it plays on our fears. They keep thrusting these shocking and disastrous scenarios in our faces. The constant negative imagery hooks our emotions so much that we can no longer think rationally. Secondly I put the cause down to money. If you want money for research these days, just mention climate change and you’ve got it. A number of big businesses are now also lining their pockets with environmental cash flowing from government coffers. Much of the rhetoric is now being driven by environmental industries that have massive vested interests in the climate change scenario. Finally the climate change con is being driven by politics and self promotion. What kind of man runs for US president? An ambitious one of course!..........

“The key point is that Darwin’s theory requires us to accept that it all happens by random chance. But is it reasonable to accept this? Is it sensible to believe that molecules assembled themselves by pure chance into you and me - the thinking, loving and beautiful beings that we are? To me believing in Darwinism is like believing an explosion in the wrecker’s yard can result in a jumbo jet.” .........

What gets in the way of the truth when we talk about these issues is dogma, both religious and science dogma. For a start religious dogma is a problem. Some people see the Bible, the Koran, the Torah or other religious text as an absolute authority. Because of this view they cannot accept anything that contradicts this absolute “Truth.”” Marion stabbed the inverted commas into the air pointedly with her fingers. “This is a real handicap for them. On the other hand most scientists have thrown the baby out with the bath water. Because some of the specific historical claims of the Bible have been disproved, they feel they’re entitled to toss the whole thing out. It’s an all or nothing kind of thing on both sides. But we don’t need to do this...........

The Science Dogma

• There is no God – atheism is the rational view of existence
  
• All creatures evolved via random chance genetic mutations
  
• People are merely more evolved animals
  
• Beyond this physical life there is nothing
  
• The only objective for humans is to maximise pleasure and minimise pain
  
• Religion is a myth invented either to comfort or to control people

“If we accept this dogma then our lives have no more purpose or meaning than that of a fly. What’s more is that the atheist is a dangerous creature because she believes in no power greater than herself and her highest aspiration is the fulfilment of her own ego. With this view of reality we can rationalise any cruel and vicious behaviour we like. We could even justify the Nazi agenda. Why don’t we just cull the inferior people?.........

“Richard Dawkins is no different from other fundamentalists in the way he clings to his beliefs. We need to remember that atheism is also a “faith.” One can’t disprove that God exists any more than one can prove that He does. The problem with guys like Dawkins is the passion with which he holds his beliefs and how this passion is used to cajole others. The more passionately one holds onto one’s beliefs the harder it is to accept any criticism of them. Unfortunately the strength of someone’s opinion is not a good indicator of Truth. Hitler, Stalin and Osama Bin Laden were all convinced they were right. Even if Dawkins could see flaws in his pigheaded arguments he could not admit he is wrong. He’s invested too much in his position, his career and written too many books on the subject. He cannot retreat because saving face has become the driving force to preserve the ego. And of course when you have no God you have no need for humility.”......

“Yes” Bill nodded, “but have you heard about the Earth crust displacement theory?” “No, tell me about it.” “Well the theory is that the entire crust of the earth periodically shifts around its liquid interior mantel. So the ice that’s previously built up at the old poles will melt because it’s moved to warmer latitudes. At the same time ice will reform at the new poles. If the theory is right the Hudson Bay was at the North Pole during what we call the last ice age. This would explain why most of the North American continent and North Western Europe were covered in ice during the last ice age, while Alaska and Siberia on the other side were relatively ice free. There were many species of mega fauna such as Mammoths, Woolly Rhinoceroses and Sabre Tooth Tigers living in Northern Siberia and Alaska during the last ice age where nothing can survive today because of the cold. They all became extinct at the end of the ice age.” “So you’re saying that the earth wasn’t actually colder during the last ice age” Nigel pondered. “It’s just that different parts of the surface were in the cold region.”.........

Jason shook his head as he led the party through the mysterious antechamber and into the Kings chamber itself. It was a substantial room. At the western end of the smooth floor stood the empty granite coffer assumed by Egyptologists to be the sarcophagus that held or was to hold the body of the Pharaoh Khufu. They gathered around the sarcophagus. “What do you make of it?” Nigel asked. “It does look about the right size to hold a body. If it’s not a sarcophagus for the Pharaoh’s body then what’