Can Faith interact with Science?

[Kisen]

Originally Posted by Rawnrr

You would first have to be clear as to what your definition of "Faith" is.
Faith does not generally require facts, it is just something that is believed deeply.
Science on the other hand requires facts to work with and build on before moving forward.

Science can confirm many things that some people hold as faith. But since peoples faith is as varied as there are people, then some people may end up proven wrong under the weight of facts.
So yes...science and faith can work together, but it wont work out for faith in alot of circumstances.

Science without faith basically leads to studying the same facts over and over. Even widely known theories or discoveries start from an assumption.

There are only a few things which are truly facts. Humans tend to be selective about what they believe. There can be evidence for both phenomena A and B but can reject phenomena B because it conflicts with phenomena A which is "obviously" the right one since reality is how we say it is.

Science and spirituality can go together easily. Mistake is when people assume science is just about objective phenomena but disregard the subjective statistical phenomena. Objectivity is already a belief.

You can study or practice spiritual elements and use statistical science to validate the experiences which is still science. There is no conflict between the two, at least in theory.

[Rawnrr]

Originally Posted by Kisen

Science without faith basically leads to studying the same facts over and over. Even widely known theories or discoveries start from an assumption.

There are only a few things which are truly facts. Humans tend to be selective about what they believe. There can be evidence for both phenomena A and B but can reject phenomena B because it conflicts with phenomena A which is "obviously" the right one since reality is how we say it is.

Science and spirituality can go together easily. Mistake is when people assume science is just about objective phenomena but disregard the subjective statistical phenomena. Objectivity is already a belief.

You can study or practice spiritual elements and use statistical science to validate the experiences which is still science. There is no conflict between the two, at least in theory.

Facts are facts.
There are good scientists and bad scientists.
There is faith based on reality, and there is faith based on fantasy.
Some scientists interested in all the facts, others in proving their pet theory...Just like there are some "faithful" who will only believe what they want to believe in spite of everything showing them they are wrong.
It all depends on the individual.

[Kisen]

Originally Posted by Rawnrr

Facts are facts.
There are good scientists and bad scientists.
There is faith based on reality, and there is faith based on fantasy.
Some scientists interested in all the facts, others in proving their pet theory...Just like there are some "faithful" who will only believe what they want to believe in spite of everything showing them they are wrong.
It all depends on the individual.

The nature of reality is still considered a mystery so the line between reality and fantasy is not that solid.

The bolded part is basically the definition of a true believer and you find these everywhere, including science. That is the point where a person is closed to anything else that conflicts with that belief.

Also, people rarely notice that they are under the influence of a belief. You can see this in modern times where it's just belief versus belief. Those who use science as their cushion for thinking they are superior and "know the facts" are as blind as the people they are arguing against.

Only people who stay in the middle are free of this and are at the best position to be a seeker. Science is a necessity for this as you have to be open enough to accept unusual information but skeptical enough not to jump to conclusions.

[Lucky 1]

Science is about concrete things....that which you can feel, measure, see and prove....

And the rest is philosophy....its that simple!

As human beings...we need an understanding of both to be whole in our world....they are two disciplines that balance each other and they are both necessary....

Faith???? Author and philosopher Robert Heinlein once said that faith can be a poor reason to believe....or disbelieve anything!

I tend to agree......

[Shivani Devi]

Where faith and science meet - there you'll find Tesla....Energy Worker extraordinaire!

[RussellLewis]

I also agree that science and faith can work together.

[RussellLewis]

Faith for me is a strong believe on something and someone.

[Otherworld]

The physical, spiritual and supernatural realm are one process, operating under the laws of physics to facilitate everything in existence. There is no conflict between science and spirit, one is the other. All things are forms of energy. Atoms and molecules are definitions of energy. Spirits are conscious energy. You should visit my site and read. deep-enlightenment dot com

[organic born]

Originally Posted by Rawnrr

It all depends on the individual.

This really is the thing isn't it! An individual experiences what an individual experiences. There is no reality for that individual other than what this individual perceives. We can simulate group-think but such a thing would actually be a complex blend of individuals attempting to adhere to whatever ideal happens to be on the table at the time. Each individual would still be interpreting based on the reality that's custom to their own predilections.

So reality is "what an individual experiences". You can "teach" someone something "new" but it will be customized by the network of associations that are already present within the individual already.

There is no reality to experience other than what an individual experiences. The same would be true for the next person in line. :)