Creationsim VS "I Don't Know"

Where did the primal seed of the big bang come from? How did life begin? How did monarch butterflies evolve the ability to navigate to their winter home? God did it, says the believer. I don't know, says the agnostic. The two statements have exactly the same explanatory value. Zero.

Why then opt for one rather than the other? The first provides an illusion of understanding, and reinforces the ancient belief in a personal divinity who attends to our individual lives. The second is a goad to curiosity, and leaves open the possibility of greater future understanding. Which path we pick may reflect an innate preference for security or risk.

Notes:

Neither explains any natural phenomena, but the latter leads the door open to curiosity.

Folksonomies: virtue ignorance creationism curiosity

Taxonomies:
/religion and spirituality/atheism and agnosticism (0.577418)
/religion and spirituality/christianity (0.574524)
/health and fitness/therapy (0.383497)

Keywords:
greater future understanding (0.969691 (neutral:0.000000)), primal seed (0.850631 (positive:0.265652)), big bang (0.825623 (positive:0.265652)), natural phenomena (0.815991 (negative:-0.416148)), Creationsim VS (0.811573 (neutral:0.000000)), monarch butterflies (0.801814 (neutral:0.000000)), innate preference (0.794094 (positive:0.524780)), explanatory value (0.765183 (neutral:0.000000)), winter home (0.730336 (neutral:0.000000)), personal divinity (0.718573 (positive:0.659363)), ancient belief (0.700001 (positive:0.659363)), individual lives (0.679448 (positive:0.659363)), curiosity (0.564901 (negative:-0.520476)), goad (0.358558 (negative:-0.599492)), believer (0.353527 (positive:0.326076)), possibility (0.320237 (neutral:0.000000)), illusion (0.319502 (positive:0.743358)), door (0.317576 (negative:-0.441460)), ability (0.306306 (neutral:0.000000)), life (0.305400 (neutral:0.000000)), path (0.303030 (positive:0.524781)), God (0.300264 (neutral:0.000000)), statements (0.295151 (neutral:0.000000))

Entities:
Creationsim:Person (0.799689 (neutral:0.000000))

Sic et non

Electronic/World Wide Web>Blog: Raymo , Chet (2008), Sic et non, Science Musings Blog, Retrieved on 2012-01-05

Source Material [blog.sciencemusings.com]

Folksonomies: atheism creationism

Schemas

01 JAN 2010

Scientific Virtues

Memes that define the virtues of science and behaviors that we should emulate.

Folksonomies: enlightenment science virtue