Why the Arabic world turned away from science (2011)
Ha ha - primitive Islamic religionists!!  Only we are exactly the same, but are blind to our failings.  This narrative plays on our conceited, flabby, unreasoned thinking.  But its nice to laugh to others, eh?<p>Science to me, is the application of the scientific method.  This is to say that whatever is being looked at should be repeatable, and consistently provide the same results.  Strictly speaking, when we say we know, we should be saying that because we have applied the scientific method personally.<p>The reality is that science in &#x27;the West&#x27; does not provide us the knowledge we think it does.  The use of the pronoun &#x27;we&#x27; cuts to the chase of the problem - WE <i>assume</i> that our scientists have this.  But step back and think about what it is to know - it can&#x27;t be a case of trusting scientists.  I should be able to take whatever is being proposed or claimed and verify it personally.<p>But no one - NO ONE - is verifying anything personally.  No one is testing the claims.  We all live in our silos, trusting that others are working in good faith.  Trusting that the stories we are told are not just hearsay.  We trust the results we are provided, without any verification.  We trust that what we are provided are not stories, but are actual verifiable science.<p>My point is that no one is personally verifying science.  On an individual level we cannot be sure that these are not stories and hearsay.<p>With the virus, has anyone here ever used an electron microscope?  Did you see a virus with it?  Why do you think it is a virus?  Etc etc.  The truth is our reason is actually faith too!<p>Science, as we do it, ie based on trust and without personal verification, is absolutely equivalent to religion.  A comforting, explanatory story is provided and we believe we &#x27;know&#x27; what is happening.  Scientists are our priests and we take their pronouncements as gospel, without questioning them.