Before the scientific revolution, the mysteries of heaven and earth were explained in metaphysical terms. Not much was known about how the material world worked. Explanations of the workings of stars, planets and matter, were the province of priests, mystics and philosophers and were usually shrouded in mystery and awe.

The Advent of Science

Then came the scientific revolution. And, for the first time mankind began to see the world and universe in a new way.  The scientific method gave scientists a uniform way to develop and test hypotheses. Now mankind could imagine new ways of doing things and discovering how things work.

Mountains of Data, Facts, and Information

Since its beginning, science has given us mountains of data, facts and information. It has expanded our insight and understanding of the material world. But, like the metaphysical explanations of old, science has its limits.

We non-scientists like to think of science as unbiased facts and data. But, although science may be based on hard data and facts, it is interpreted by scientists. And, like all humans, they have beliefs and biases that can, and frequently do, effect their conclusions. A good example of this is a story about Albert Einstein.

Einstein and the Cosmological Constant

Einstein agreed with Aristotle who believed that the universe was constant and unchanging. Or as author Carl Sagan famously put it, “the Cosmos is all that is, or was, or ever will be”. But, when developing his theory of general relativity, Einstein encountered an annoying problem. To make his field equations coherent with a static, unchanging universe, he had to come up with a variable known as the “cosmological constant”. This made the numbers work, but why was it needed?

Hubble’s Proof

In 1928 astronomer Carl Hubble’s photographs of the night sky provided the answer. Hubble proved that the universe is not static and unchanging as Einstein believed, but expanding. This was why Einstein needed a cosmological constant for his equations to work. He reluctantly accepted this new evidence. Einstein later claimed his belief of an unchanging universe caused the “greatest blunder” of his life. Einstein’s beliefs had affected his science.

Manipulation and Interpretation of Facts

The truth is all scientists are humans with beliefs and biases that affect their interpretations. Like Einstein, they may be enticed to manipulate or interpret the facts to support their beliefs or hypotheses. We see another example of this today in evolutionists versus creationists scientists. Both look at the same data – the fine tuning of the universe, the geological record, information science, and the complexity of the human genome and arrive at two very different interpretations.

Though science tells us a lot, it doesn’t, and can’t, tell us what we don’t know!  What scientists learn tomorrow may change what we believe today.  New data or facts may alter the interpretation. That is why science is always open to change.  And, it is often why health care professionals recommend a particular treatment one year only to reverse it the next!

What is Truth?

So, you may ask yourself, as Pilate famously asked, “What is truth?”.  How do non-scientific beings make sense of all this? When evaluating the many claims of modern science, it is reasonable to do so with more than a touch of skepticism. You may have heard people ask, “What does the science say”?  The answer is, hard science is nothing but facts and data. Science does not say anything, scientists do! And scientists are fallible humans, and truth is a metaphysical, not a scientific, concept.

Think for yourself!

And put rational thought into ACTION.