Members Arthur Panther

Sep 3 2010: Well said, sir!

Sep 3 2010: Sooo... I'm jumping in here, but are you really saying what I think you're saying, Mr. Careaga? Because I highly doubt you're saying that 'God did it' is becoming more accepted in scientific circles. And that's pretty much what (for the most part) the record shows, as far as the explanations of 'the ancients'...
Mind you, there are amazing exceptions - one of my favorites is the primitive steam engine described by Vitruvius, around ninety years B.C.E. . . . and it was used as a toy! Amazing.
Whether or not a theory is ironclad is something for the test of time to decide - but I think this Mr. Deutsch is on to something.

Sep 3 2010: I'm sorry, but I fail to see anything in your comment bearing on the talk everyone else is discussing - except, perhaps, for blind, dogmatic faith rejecting an invariable good explanation (science, for example) in favor of an infinitely variable myth (pick a religion, any religion).

In which case, either you're being ironic (good show, but a bit trollish, wouldn't you say?), or you're sincere, which is ironic (and a bit sad) in itself, since your very existence tends to solidify the position of the people you are ostensibly against.

Sep 3 2010: That's an intriguing idea.
On the other hand, as we become more technologically advanced, and unravel the secrets of the universe, would we find that there is always a new horizon, a new discovery which waits just beyond our grasp?
I certainly hope so, but even if not, I think that as we mature as a species, we will put our childish toy of religion away fondly, and let it gather dust as we explore the strangeness that is our beautiful universe.

Sep 3 2010: While I respect your opinion in terms of his explanation, I have to disagree with some of your reasons and examples.

Myths and science are nowhere near equal in effectiveness - ask the nearest kid with an iPod to play you some music, then try getting a shaman to coalesce music out of thin air. There are hundreds of examples here, but you get the idea.

The perpetual uncertainties of quantum physics aside, science in the great majority of cases fits the niche that Mr. Deutsch was describing.

Separately, considering the vehemence with which modern religious demagogues spout their dogma, I think it at best a fifty-fifty proposition whether the vox populi from ancient Greece would have admitted ignorance or (at least out of peer pressure) feigned belief. I think there are very few who actually believe in Santa Claus, but you'd be hard pressed to find a parent in a Christian household who doesn't fervently express belief around their children - especially during the holidays.