The uselessness of science

[Eureka]

When I was much younger I went through a phase where I spent a lot of time drinking and smoking weed with a bunch of people in my friend's basement. We would have lengthy, elaborate philosophical conversations...including one which led us to the brilliant revelation that science is useless because it doesn't prove anything. We were so deep!

OP--if you're sincerely curious, I suggest you search for an epistemology textbook. I also suggest reading a peer-reviewed paper from a scientific journal. Statistical probability is a pretty useful substitute for certainty

[Eureka]

Bah! I just realized that Paul was the OP, and it made me read the post in an entirely different way. My first impression, even with reading the comments, was that the post was intended as an argument that science is actually useless...

[PaulSacramento]

Bah! I just realized that Paul was the OP, and it made me read the post in an entirely different way. My first impression, even with reading the comments, was that the post was intended as an argument that science is actually useless...

My point is that I truly dislike people that try to use science to DISPROVE things, then go about stating things like "science isn't in the business of proving things".

[Eureka]

My point is that I truly dislike people that try to use science to DISPROVE things, then go about stating things like "science isn't in the business of proving things

Yea...like I said I read it differently when I realized you were the OP. I've stalked this board quite a bit over the years and have become familiar with some of the members and mods and would have been surprised to see you make a sincere argument about science being useless. Then again...since you have a career in the sciences I imagine you've thrown your hands up at times and called it all useless

[windywherever]

Science is, in reality, ALL about proving things.

I like to think science is all about understanding things, even if the understanding we get leads us to understand there are some things we just can't understand (at least, not without further information or insight). Perhaps we can't prove something, but even just the effort in trying to understand through observation, experiment and thoughts can still be called science.

I'm not sure if I'm necessarily saying something different to what you were saying so please feel free to clarify if I've misunderstood you.

Anyway, I had the impression that the OP was based on the context of a fundamental disagreement between science and faith; that they are opposed to one another. I don't think that's the case. I think God is the ultimate scientist and that he wants us to learn more about just how amazing his creation is.