<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ Mar 9 2007, 03:42 PM) [snapback]403072[/snapback]</div> That's part of the beauty of science - it takes learning how nature works to even recognize there are aspects of nature you don't understand yet. Without some knowledge of physics and astronomy the very concept of "dark matter" wouldn't even have occurred to anyone, let alone that it is still a mystery far from resolved. And when we do finally understand most of what there is to know about dark matter, we'll THEN know enough to recognize some NEW mystery of nature impossible to imagine WITHOUT having first learned what dark matter is and how it works. It's the old adage: The more you know, the more you realize how little you actually know. There will always be mysteries. The universe is too vast (and largely out of reach) for us to be able to ever explain every wrinkle and niche in how it all fits together. We barely understand a fraction of the earth beneath our feet; we understand ourselves so poorly there's serious concern we may kill ourselves off through war or ecological mismanagement. There will ALWAYS be mysteries. The adage above (about how it takes knowledge to recognize how trifling our knowledge is) is exactly opposite the "spirit" of religion, which both suppresses the seeking of knowledge and claims it possesses ALL knowledge. Only someone deeply ignorant (forgive the oxymoron there) could ever believe he possesses ALL knowledge, and if religion were distilled down to a single property, its extreme, WILLFUL ignorance would be the hard grains of dust left at the bottom of the beaker. Mark Baird Alameda CA
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(airportkid @ Mar 9 2007, 07:08 PM) [snapback]403082[/snapback]</div> That hits it on the head for me. It is the one thing I find truly untenable when having a discussion with someone fanatically religious; the fact that they have an answer for everything, even though their answers typically beg new, deeper questions. Then the circular logic machine starts up, and it's wrapped up in a nice little ball, impervious to the endless possibilities out there. End of intelligent discussion. The first day of chemistry in college many, many moons ago, the professor held up our text book. He said, and I quote, "Everything in this book may be wrong.". He went on to explain that all the theories and "laws" are limited by ourselves; that we cannot even imagine what we do not know. He also said that all the exams, quizzes and lab work that semester would be based on what's in the book, since it's the best working model we have, so learn and study what's in the book. I do believe he was the only educator I've had that has ever challenged the almighty textbook. My hero.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mirza @ Mar 7 2007, 11:20 AM) [snapback]401674[/snapback]</div> WOW! You are not 100% sure in your belief as an atheist! How about that! There may be some hope for you after all! Now don't that beat all!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(airportkid @ Mar 9 2007, 04:08 PM) [snapback]403082[/snapback]</div> I agree with you completely Mark.
