[Avodah] Science and Truth

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Harry Maryles (welcome back to Avodah!) wrote:

> Religion deals in absolutes. Those absolutes are based on
> belief. Belief is based on many factors having to do with
> observation, tradition, inductive reasoning, and intuition.

I feel these "absolutes" to be much less absolute than how RHM percieves them. It seems to me that anything based on observation might be flawed because of an incomplete observation. Anything based on reasoning might be flawed because of faulty reasoning. Anything based on intuition might be flawed because it is quite possibly mere guesswork. (There are many untrue religions founded by sincere people based on faulty reasoning, inaccurate observation, and emotional intuition.)

Of the four factors mentioned, that leaves "tradition". I'd say that anything based on a clear *Revelation* is the only absolute in this discussion, and even there, it is reliable only to the extent that one can trust himself to have understood the Revelation correctly. (I am blessed to be part of the only religion based on Revelation; see Va'eschanan 4:32-39.)

> Belief it can be argued is much stronger than science.
> Belief can neither be proven or disproven and is therefore
> not so easily refuted.

But the exact same logic can be used to argue that belief is much *weaker* than science. Belief can neither be proven or disproven and is therefore not so easily demonstrated.

Akiva Miller

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