If Science Is A Conspiracy, Why Does This Computer Work? And Other Stories

[Blog of Reason]

Discussion thread for the blog entry "If Science Is A Conspiracy, Why Does This Computer Work? And Other Stories" by Th1sWasATriumph.

Permalink: http://blog.leagueofreason.org.uk/reason/if-science-is-a-conspiracy-why-does-this-computer-work-and-other-stories/

 

[rabbitpirate]

Re: If Science Is A Conspiracy, Why Does This Computer Work? And

I don't think I mentioned it at the time but a few months back now I had a run in with someone who I used to know back when I used to go to church. She of course asked me if I still went and when I said that I didn't and that I didn't believe in God any more and, after chatting for a few minutes, she came out with this classic line:

"You can't trust science because it keeps changing, what you believe today could be shown to be wrong tomorrow."

I was so shocked by that that I actually thought she was joking for a moment. There she was sitting on a plastic chair in an electrically lit room with a TV in one corner and music playing. On the table in front of her were her car keys and mobile phone and she was wearing man made fabrics. But science can't be trusted!?!?!

Things went down hill from there and I really had to struggle not to slap the smug expression off her face when she started to indulge in the arrogance of ignorance. At one point she actually came out with the "if we evolved from monkeys why are there still monkeys" line. Seriously the hypocrisy of these people amazes me.

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Re: If Science Is A Conspiracy, Why Does This Computer Work? And

I don't think I mentioned it at the time but a few months back now I had a run in with someone who I used to know back when I used to go to church. She of course asked me if I still went and when I said that I didn't and that I didn't believe in God any more and, after chatting for a few minutes, she came out with this classic line:

"You can't trust science because it keeps changing, what you believe today could be shown to be wrong tomorrow."

I was so shocked by that that I actually thought she was joking for a moment. There she was sitting on a plastic chair in an electrically lit room with a TV in one corner and music playing. On the table in front of her were her car keys and mobile phone and she was wearing man made fabrics. But science can't be trusted!?!?!

Things went down hill from there and I really had to struggle not to slap the smug expression off her face when she started to indulge in the arrogance of ignorance. At one point she actually came out with the "if we evolved from monkeys why are there still monkeys" line. Seriously the hypocrisy of these people amazes me.

Well, I mean... tomorrow science could say that internal combustion doesn't work, and we'll be stuck with hundreds of millions of cars that don't work! Next thing you know, they'll change aerodynamics and planes will fall out of the sky. Of course, that means germ theory could be wrong and we'll be back to sacrificing chickens to ward off evil spirits instead of taking medicine. What a hassle! Maybe we should believe in some god or other. :facepalm:

 

[Aught3]

Re: If Science Is A Conspiracy, Why Does This Computer Work? And

Is technology necessarily the same as science? Our understanding of the science could change with out affecting technology.

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Re: If Science Is A Conspiracy, Why Does This Computer Work? And

Is technology necessarily the same as science? Our understanding of the science could change with out affecting technology.

We've gotten to the point where the fundamental science behind much of our technology has to be a pretty good approximation of reality, or the stuff wouldn't work. When we were just using electricity to make things hot, it didn't really matter what the explanation for electricity was. Taking an aspirin for a headache works with little understanding of biology, but gene therapy sort of requires a deeper understanding of the underlying systems, and that the understanding is accurate. The more complicated the technologies become, the more foundational our understanding of the science becomes.

It seems rather improbable that we could have gotten to this level of technology while getting the basic science completely wrong.

 

[Giliell]

Re: If Science Is A Conspiracy, Why Does This Computer Work? And

Is technology necessarily the same as science? Our understanding of the science could change with out affecting technology.

Well, I'd say it's both its application AND a source for study.
People building a car will apply what we know about science.
Sometimes they will find that something, despite of having applied all the science propperly, doesn't work as they expected.
So it's back on the agenda.
But in most cases they'll look at the science, at the equations, calculations and laws and apply them in a useful way.

 

[Womble]

Re: If Science Is A Conspiracy, Why Does This Computer Work? And

Well i can safely say that this is one science teacher that would kick up a massive fuss if they were expected to try and teach non-science as science. The scariest thing is that creation is being taught on a par with science in some schools. These arn't state schools but they are some of the new Academy schools, it's the Vardy ones to my knowledge, but it's still an un-nerving prospect!