One of my biggest beefs with the admitted over generalization of “organized religion” is how much war and destruction has been spawned from its loins through history (and well into pre-history).
This got me thinking of whether or not I felt that I could get passionate enough about defending Science/The Scientific Method to physically put my mind/body on a battle field, fighting - militarily - tribaly - individually- to the death for it? Are there any circumstances where I could see myself taking this option?
It is quite the complicated issue for me, and I’m going to have to think about my own answer for a while, but I figured I’d toss it out there in the meantime.
I’m not sure I understand the question, but unless there was a threat to my life or my family, I cannot imagine quitting my job to stand a post and defend against the anti-Science/Scientific Method heathens.
I consider myself to be mired in existential crises on a daily basis, but this is WAY out there!
That right there is a good question. Yessir it is.
I guess it depends on how I’m feeling on any given day. I do have something of a difficult streak in me when I get to feeling cross. I’m going to go so far as to say that I could fight for science. Best answer I could come up with.
I’m finding it very difficult to think of a situation where I wouldn’t still have some confidence that the application of scientific principles could be applied to avoid a violent confrontation. It seems to get somewhat easier to possibly see myself in the position the smaller the population of people I’d be dealing with.
What are we talking about, here…a horde of luddies laying siege to Lawrence Livermore, or something?
Well, if the shit really got that high, then yeah, I suppose I might try to help defend science. It’s a good cause, and besides, it’s not like I’ve got anything better to do.
Plus, y’know, one would think that you’d have at least a little edge fighting people who don’t like science. (Try using alternative medicine against a radiological bomb, whydoncha. )
I can’t imagine where a situation like that would come up, but then again I’ve never understood the mentality behind religious wars. If you’re so sure that your god is right and that those jerks over the hill are heretics, then why not just live your own righteous life on your own? Let them live their horrible sinful lives and die and suffer for eternity in hell. I don’t see how killing them is going to convince them you were right all along. I guess that’s just my modern mind talking, but I’ve also never really felt passionate enough about something to turn violent. I love the scientific method and all that, but if there were some huge backlash against it somehow, I would probably just sit and mutter angrily in the corner about how stupid everyone except me is.
I think that if I imagine a situation where, oh, I don’t know, say a bunch of guys on bicycles and wearing white shirts and black ties have a national movement were they are going house-to-house confiscating globes and telescopes and books on creationism and having mass science book burnings in the town square and demanding a pledge of allegiance to their organization, then yeah, hell yeah. just give me a few minutes to dig in.
I already do fight for it, just not physically. I’ve defended scientific points against fundies and ignorant twits, and I’ll do it again. And if Science was ever threatened, and another Dark Age loomed, then you can bet your butt I’d be out there defending rational thought till my last breath.
But I’m not going to run out and play missionary in the Amazon, handing out physics textbooks to the heathens and collecting money to build them laboratories.
If the fundies took over and started oppressing science, damn-straight I’m gonna fight. If they’ve supressed scientific knowledge, they’ve most likely supressed literature/art and free speech, and Christ, what would be the point of living?
I would in a heartbeat. Due to science I don’t have to work 70 hours a week to live off of a diet of moldy bread. I’m sure scientific advancement is a large factor in why democratic and humane forms of government are so common nowadays for a variety of reasons. Plus all the endless medical benefits of science, etc.
seeing as I am a religious fund’ist IN THE ORIGINAL SENSE (one who is commmitted to the basic teachings of the faith) and I believe true faith flourishes in an atmosphere of freedom, as does art, literature & science, then hell yeah, I’d fight to defend Science, Art, Literature AND Religion
If the nuts start trying to teach psuedoscience (ESP, ghosts) or “religion science” (creation science) in my city’s public schools, I’ll be down there to pimp-smack those idiots six ways to Sunday school.
But I would fight and die for science, sure. I think that religion and science are not natural enemies, they have been made to be so by moronic people on both sides (trying to be nice and fair here, really I think it’s been the religion side that has been so idiotic about it all).
I thank God that I live in a school district that believes in teaching evolution and also supports science.
Heh.
Sure, I’d fight for science. We’d just have to lay some ground rules first:
I promise not to use god to help me. No praying to him, no sacrificing animals to appease him, no looking up scripture for inspiration, etc.
They promise not to use science to help them. No guns, no bombs, really no weapons other than big rocks for throwing. No medicine, no antiseptics, no surgery, all healing will be done through prayer and blood letting. Absolutely no use of satellites to plot their position and the position of our troops, no automobiles or airplanes to get them there. Horses, I will allow.
My prediction? We send a few ICBMs their way, then sit back and enjoy a cool, tasty beverage while they squint up at the sky and wonder what that whistling noise is.
It seems to me we, in a sense, already are. We have a few extreme fundimentalist Muslims that are interpreting their holy books to mean that all that are not of their faith must die or submit. I suppose you can argue they are not fighting science directly but in a way they certianly are. They are fighting against the cultures and the freedoms that make science possible. They are, for sure, using that same science in their fight but I think they’re fundimentally against anything that is not laid out in their interpretation of their holy books. That to me is what any terrorist attack is, not just the Muslim ones. It is a attempt to repress any belief not theirs by suppression not by logic or dialogue.
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