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Re: Risk Communication
Hi All,
Over the years I have found it very useful to separate, at least in
my mind (if not in the discussion) science from religion. This country
fortunately is required to do a similar thing in separating politics and
religion. An unsolvable problem occurs when science and religion are
mixed together. Since we are allowed to believe anything we want, we
can religiously believe something which is contrary to the scientific
evidence and nobody can take that away from us!
I have a friend who is a pleasant and competent scientist. He also
believes that the universe is no older than about 6,000 years, and that
there must be something wrong with our data regarding time. We both
understand that in this "mixed area", the Scientific Method and his
religion collide, and that leads to an impasse. We can agree to both
exercise our freedom of beliefs and make a choice.
We only disagree in terminology: He calls his belief an alternate
scientific theory and I call it a religious and not a scientific issue.
Why? A scientific issue will (sooner or later) be decided by the
Scientific Method and experimental data. In radioactive decay we have a
prime example, and the linear no-threshold theory of radiation
carcinogenesis is another one. Sooner or later, it is going to be
decided by the data. A religious dogma, on the other hand, will not
accept any contradiction by experiment and its followers will not accept
the data. That is quite all right, they do not have to do so; we do
live in a free country. But that is a religious and not a scientific
choice. In this way, the geocentric Ptolemaic system was at odds with
the data and the heliocentric Copernican system was in direct agreement
with them. Conflicts of this kind have always happened when religion
ventures or has ventured into an area that is subject to scientific
verification. I think that it is important to recognize the nature of
the disagreement and to agree to disagree before the communication
breaks down and hostilities break out.
Best regards,
Fritz
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Fritz A. Seiler, Ph.D.
Sigma Five Consulting
P.O. Box 1709
Los Lunas, NM 87031, USA
Tel. 505-866-5193
Fax. 505-866-5197
e-mail: faseiler@nmia.com
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