[Buddha-l] it's not about belief -= science & Christian religion

[Jim Peavler]

On Jan 6, 2006, at 10:09 AM, Richard P. Hayes wrote:

>
> Noam Chomsky has observed that what distinguishes entomology from
> butterfly collecting is not the subject matter, but the methodology  
> and
> the overall attitude involved in pursuing the subject matter. So I  
> would
> still argue that there was precious little anywhere in the world that
> qualified as science before the 18th century or so. Sure, there were
> astrologers and alchemists, but there were not astronomers or  
> chemists.
> There were plenty of people advancing technology, but hardly anyone  
> was
> advancing a purely theoretical understanding of the world in which we
> live, without reference to questions of what is worthwhile and what is
> helpful to man human beings more capable of discovering their own
> purpose in the cosmos.

I agree with what you say absolutely. And half of my Ph.D. was on the  
history of science. So that makes me an authority. I expect this  
"science" part of the "belief" thread to be closed. (I am trying to  
avoid being disingenuous.)
>
>