Science is all-knowing and all-powerful

[Resha Caner]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

.

 

[quatona]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

Sounds like a massive strawman to me. I may be wrong, though, and someone actually has said it.

 

[Resha Caner]

Sounds like a massive strawman to me. I may be wrong, though, and someone actually has said it.

Then I'll offer a special question just for you. Is there something else you consider all-powerful or all-knowing? Or, what might you think is the most powerful or contain the most knowledge?

 

[Saucy]

As often as science changes its answers, and as often as it will continue to change in the future, proves otherwise.

 

[Bluerose31]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

I dont think science is all knowing like God is. I think it only knows fact but not really the spirit of things. I think science is powerful though, but not all powerful.

 

[LadyCrosstalk]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

Sounds like it is a god, for some folk.

 

[SeventyOne]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

I think it's good for a laugh.

 

[LadyCrosstalk]

Sounds like a massive strawman to me. I may be wrong, though, and someone actually has said it.

I've actually heard atheists posit something like the OP states.

 

[pakicetus]

Sounds like a massive strawman to me. I may be wrong, though, and someone actually has said it.

I've never heard anyone say it either. I've only heard people use it as a strawman to defend nonsense (astrology, homeopathy, anti-vaccine conspiracy theories) and ignore the scientific evidence that they're wrong. Dara O'Briain gave a good response to that once: "Homeopaths get on my nerves with the old, 'Well, science doesn't know everything.' Science knows it doesn't know everything; otherwise, it'd stop. But that doesn't mean you can fill in the gaps with whatever fairy tale most appeals to you."

 

[SnowyMacie]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

I've really never heard anyone say that since once science knows everything, it is no longer needed.

 

[cloudyday2]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

How about rewording the statement: "Science is the only way of knowing the truths that give us power over nature and improve our condition"? I might agree with that maybe.

 

[Resha Caner]

How about rewording the statement: "Science is the only way of knowing the truths that give us power over nature and improve our condition"? I might agree with that maybe.

Clever. Could it be shortened to, "Science is the only way of knowing what gives us power over the material"?

I like it because you incorporated both knowledge and power into the statement. Someone could get lucky or guess at ways to control nature, but that is not knowing. I eliminated "improve our condition" because that's a judgement. What is an improvement to one is not to another. Finally, I replaced "nature" with "material" to subtly imply there may be other things science is not addressing.

So, some questions about the statement. How do we know it is the only way? Does the statement imply that the power gained follows from the knowledge?

 

[timewerx]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

Maybe in the far distant future it's possible but cannot be done by man, but with Artificial Intelligence.

 

[USincognito]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

The only thought I have is, "why not add a poll with some options to the thread?".

 

[keith99]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

It does not fit any science class I ever took.

Science makes no claims to know all. It does have an undercurrent of wanting to investigate all.

 

[keith99]

I've actually heard atheists posit something like the OP states.

I do not recall ever having heard an atheist say that. I do recall it occuring fairly often as a Christian strawman.

 

[Strathos]

What do you think of the statement, "Science is all-knowing and all-powerful"?

It's a categorical error as science is not a conscious being with any kind of initiative but a method. It makes about as much sense as saying 'playing chess is the king of France'.

Now if you were to say 'scientists are all-knowing and all-powerful', that would at least be a coherent statement, although it obviously isn't true.

 

[quatona]

Then I'll offer a special question just for you. Is there something else you consider all-powerful or all-knowing? Or, what might you think is the most powerful or contain the most knowledge?

So it was indeed a strawman, and you had to immediately shift the goalposts? Ok.

 

[quatona]

I've actually heard atheists posit something like the OP states.

Feel free to provide a collection of quotes.