Friday, March 31, 2006
Steve Fuller on 'Kuhn vs. Popper' - the justification of belief matters to religion
In stark contrast to the strangely uninformed picture of religious belief as a matter of blind faith spread about by Prof. Richard Dawkins, secular humanist Prof. Steve Fuller writes:
'It is easy to forget that both science and religion are preoccupied with justifying beliefs.' (p. 16)
Of course, Fuller isn't admitting that religion suceeds in justifying its beliefs. Nevertheless, even for Fuller to recognize that religion is concerned with even an attempt at rational justification, or that religious people generally don't believe what they do because they think it is unreasonable, places him at odds with the likes of Dawkins! It comes to something when one has to commend a secular humanist for recognizing and stating the obvious!
'It is easy to forget that both science and religion are preoccupied with justifying beliefs.' (p. 16)
Of course, Fuller isn't admitting that religion suceeds in justifying its beliefs. Nevertheless, even for Fuller to recognize that religion is concerned with even an attempt at rational justification, or that religious people generally don't believe what they do because they think it is unreasonable, places him at odds with the likes of Dawkins! It comes to something when one has to commend a secular humanist for recognizing and stating the obvious!
