Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The tyranny of knowing it all, and the freedom of not

We were made like Genesis said.

We evolved.

Are those the only two valid points of view?

Freeman Dyson is one of the smartest men ever, well, created or evolved.

Mr. Dyson is a physicist, mathematician, non-denominational Christian, and a British born American.

Mr. Dyson is best known for demonstrating in 1949 the equivalence of the formulations of quantum electrodynamics. I have no idea what that means. But, scientists do. And they acclaim him for his work.

Mr. Dyson is also known as a heretic. That’s because he does not swallow “global warming” whole hog.

He is among signatories of a letter to the UN criticizing the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The letter includes the statements, "The average rate of warming of 0.1 to 0. 2 degrees Celsius per decade recorded by satellites during the late 20th century falls within known natural rates of warming and cooling over the last 10,000 years" and "there has been no net global warming since 1998". Both statements have been criticized as inconsistent with the data. And Mr.Dyson could care less.

Mr. Dyson is still kicking at 84. God love him. He challenges the know-it alls.

“Science and religion are two windows that people look through, trying to understand the big universe outside, trying to understand why we are here. The two windows give different views, but they look out at the same universe. Both views are one-sided, neither is complete. Both leave out essential features of the real world. And both are worthy of respect.

Trouble arises when either science or religion claims universal jurisdiction, when either religious or scientific dogma claims to be infallible. Religious creationists and scientific materialists are equally dogmatic and insensitive. By their arrogance they bring both science and religion into disrepute. The media exaggerate their numbers and importance. The media rarely mention the fact that the great majority of religious people belong to moderate denominations that treat science with respect, or the fact that the great majority of scientists treat religion with respect so long as religion does not claim jurisdiction over scientific questions.”

Mr. Dyson, I look forward to the day when we are in Heaven together and we finally understand it all.

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