Does science ‘prove’ its theories?
Charles Sanders Peirce (1839 – 1914) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) New Atheist websites tend to give the impression that scientific theories are based only on evidence. Religion on the other hand, they posit, runs away from evidence. Richard Dawkins’ argument that atheism is rational and scientific, while religion is irrational and superstitious, is clearly being picked up here. But just how reliable is it? Dawkins often argues that there’s no need for faith in science , in that the evidence for a correct conviction compels us to accept its truth. He first set out his views on this matter in The Selfish Gene in 1976 and has not changed his mind since. [Faith] is a state of mind that leads people to believe something—it doesn’t matter what—in the total absence of supporting evidence. If there were good supporting evidence, then faith would be superfluous, for the evidence would compel us to believe it anyway. Though this seems clear and persuasive, it’s actually an unsustainable vie...