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A cure for arrogance toward nature

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ant

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A cure for arrogance toward nature

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Subramanyan Chandrasekhar was once asked why he could innovate in physics well beyond retirement age, while most physicists do innovative work only when young. He said, “there seems to be a certain arrogance toward nature that people develop. These people have had great insights and made profound discoveries. They imagine afterwards that the fact that they succeeded so triumphantly in one area means they have a special way of looking at science which must be right. But science doesn’t permit that. Nature has shown over and over again that the kinds of truth which underlie nature transcend the most powerful minds.” Chandrasekhar seems to be saying that early success in knowing “puffs up” the scientist, so that his enlarged ego makes it hard to see the way forward on new problems. The humble self-forgetting love of knowing can remove this impediment.

Science dogmatized by atheists, particularly of the militant kind, need to practice more intellectual humility.

It's laughable when armchair philosophers and scientists religionize science and grant it as the Oracle of our "enlightened" age.

All HAIL science, our one stop shop for all definitive answers!

I find it easy to appreciate all that science has done for us and will continue to do.
I find it difficult to be a braggart on its behalf.

Thanks
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Re: A cure for arrogance toward nature

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I like Chandrassekhar's thinking. Where can I find out more about him?
Love what you do, and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. -Ray Bradbury

Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it. -Robert A. Heinlein
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Re: A cure for arrogance toward nature

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Cattleman wrote:I like Chandrassekhar's thinking. Where can I find out more about him?
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/ ... tobio.html
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Interbane

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Re: A cure for arrogance toward nature

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Science dogmatized by atheists, particularly of the militant kind, need to practice more intellectual humility.

It's laughable when armchair philosophers and scientists religionize science and grant it as the Oracle of our "enlightened" age.
It's not laughable. It's expected(but not accepted), since we are all only human. It isn't science that causes mankind to religionize things and stray far from humility. It's human nature. Chandrasekhar shows that science favors the humble.
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.” - Douglas Adams
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Re: A cure for arrogance toward nature

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Interbane wrote:
Science dogmatized by atheists, particularly of the militant kind, need to practice more intellectual humility.

It's laughable when armchair philosophers and scientists religionize science and grant it as the Oracle of our "enlightened" age.
It's not laughable. It's expected(but not accepted), since we are all only human. It isn't science that causes mankind to religionize things and stray far from humility. It's human nature. Chandrasekhar shows that science favors the humble.
Yes, of course. We can't control our arrogance because "we are only human."
It's human nature to shoot down someone's faith in something greater than our simple understanding of nature because faith is just an illusion. We can't bring it into the lab, so it's all nonsense.

Someone like Professor Atkins is only being true to his nature when he trumpets there is most certainly no god because if there was a god our magnificent, unlimited intelligence would certainly have detected one with our sensory prowess.

And of course, the good thing about being human is that there is always an excuse you can find for behavior toward your fellow man.
Last edited by ant on Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A cure for arrogance toward nature

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Yes, of course. We can't control our arrogance because "we are only human."
Why would you say that we can't control our arrogance? Of course we can, though it takes effort. I don't see the situation as a laughable one, either. The world would be a much better place with more humility.
It's human nature to shoot down someone's faith in something greater than our simple understanding of nature because faith is just an illusion. We can't bring it into the lab, so it's all nonsense.
Why would you say that faith is just an illusion? That's the same as saying faith is a fact. You aren't justified making either claim. I'm also wondering why you say that anything that doesn't come from a lab is nonsense. Most of my favorite philosophers have never stepped foot into a lab...

You say some peculiar things, ant. Peculiar and off-base. Are you angry about something?
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.” - Douglas Adams
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Re: A cure for arrogance toward nature

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ant wrote:
Subramanyan Chandrasekhar was once asked why he could innovate in physics well beyond retirement age, while most physicists do innovative work only when young. He said, “there seems to be a certain arrogance toward nature that people develop. These people have had great insights and made profound discoveries. They imagine afterwards that the fact that they succeeded so triumphantly in one area means they have a special way of looking at science which must be right. But science doesn’t permit that. Nature has shown over and over again that the kinds of truth which underlie nature transcend the most powerful minds.” Chandrasekhar seems to be saying that early success in knowing “puffs up” the scientist, so that his enlarged ego makes it hard to see the way forward on new problems. The humble self-forgetting love of knowing can remove this impediment.

Science dogmatized by atheists, particularly of the militant kind, need to practice more intellectual humility.

It's laughable when armchair philosophers and scientists religionize science and grant it as the Oracle of our "enlightened" age.

All HAIL science, our one stop shop for all definitive answers!

I find it easy to appreciate all that science has done for us and will continue to do.
I find it difficult to be a braggart on its behalf.

Thanks
Relevance to "militant" atheists? Zero.

Strawman about definitive answers? Check.
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Re: A cure for arrogance toward nature

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It's laughable when armchair philosophers and scientists religionize science and grant it as the Oracle of our "enlightened" age.
yes i liked it much better when you had to be washed in the blood of historical jesus or face an eternity in a literal lake of fire :lol:

this sounds like a case for historical Jesus

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

seriously though ant, Hitchens has a point when he advocates the socratic method over orthodox literalist claptrap.

sure science worshippers can get on your tits at times but compared to literalists they are not so bad, at least they dont say things like "turn or burn".

a jerk is a jerk whether they worship science or historical jesus.

BTW: loved this
Nature has shown over and over again that the kinds of truth which underlie nature transcend the most powerful minds.”
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Re: A cure for arrogance toward nature

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That was my favorite line too.
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.” - Douglas Adams
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