Tuesday, February 18, 2014

People are wrong.

People are wrong.

Quite often in fact.

About a lot of different things. Everyone I know has been wrong at one time or another, some more than others, but every single person I can think of has been or is capable of being wrong. So people can be wrong. and not just intellectually, people can be emotionally wrong. That bad feeling or gut feeling can be wrong. It can sometimes be right but its not always right.

This is, I think, obvious to anyone who has ever met someone else.

Now most people aren't wrong about everything, just something. Something they feel or think is just plain incorrect.

So tell me something.....what are you wrong about?

oh come on... you can't think of anything that you are wrong about. but you must be wrong about something.

Not that you were wrong about.. that you are wrong about right now.

Yeah, I can't do it either.

Now we can't possible be the two smartest people on the planet. We can't be right about everything. No one is. We all have the capacity to be totally wrong about things.

So what could I be wrong about. This I think is a very important question, and nothing should be out of bounds for this question. The more important the belief, the more important that I know its true.

"As many true things." I called my blog that for a reason. I value truth. but how do you know if something is true or not. Nothing in this world has come close to as strong a track record as the scientific method. Ask questions, research the evidence, form predictions, gather data, analyze and draw conclusions. But the most important part is to be open to whatever the answer is, even if it isn't what you hoped and what you wanted.

Every atheist I know, if you ask them what could convince them to believe would be able to give you a list of things.  What it would take to convince them. I could give you my list.

Every scientist in a lab could tell you what it would take to prove their hypothesis wrong. What it would take to disprove all their work. But being wrong in science isn't a bad thing, it reinforces what we know to be true. And when something that we believed was true is proven incorrect science rejoices at the news that something false was found and something true replaced it. Science moves forward. Science has never claimed to be correct about everything, it claims to be the most correct it can be with the information it has.

Kinda like us.

I can't think of a single thing that I am wrong about.....right now. because if I knew I was wrong I would change my mind.

When every I ask a believer what it would take to convince them they are wrong the answer is almost always, "Nothing, nothing could convince me I am wrong"

No progress can ever be made from that position.

When it comes to finding answers, science tries to look at the facts, the details, and follow them to a conclusion. While religion (namely the personal God religions) Start with a conclusion and look for answers to support what they already can't be swayed from.

This was perfectly illustrated in a debate between Ken Ham, founder of the Creation Museum and Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Ken Ham believes the world was flooded for a whole year. believes this with all his heart. He looks for only evidence that would support his concrete belief. and would absolutely disregard any facts that don't fit his model.
Bill Nye understands evolution. No belief required but if real evidence, proven testable verifiable evidence surfaced that contradicted evolution, proved it wrong and supported something else. He would change his mind. Thats how it works, thats why science progresses quickly.

At the end of the debate someone asked both debaters, "What could convince you you are wrong?"

Ken Ham said nothing could convince him and Bill Nye said evidence.

Religion makes doubt a sin. Knowledge a sin. Eve ate from the tree of Knowledge. That was her sin. There couldn't be a more clear message than that.

Science requires it. It requires doubt. It requires knowledge.

To be 100% sure to the point that you will not consider any evidence that doesn't support your claim is a form of extremism. That makes Ken Ham and Ray Comfort extremists. Now I think Ken and Ray are good people who have no intention of harming others but I don't think their positions do no harm.

Be cautious of anything that claims to have the answer 100% of the time. Be cautious of anything that can not be convinced it might be wrong.

What could I be wrong about? Why do I believe this? Am I right, if so why? Can I defend my position?

These are all questions I ask myself about anything, especially if it is important.

2 comments:

  1. I was wrong when I thought I didnt need another atheist blog in my life. Nice piece.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks man, I appreciate that. Much like my thoughts on the subject matter it's a work in progress.

    ReplyDelete