“SCIENCE IS REAL,” declared The Sign, which for a time seemed to glare at me from almost every house in the neighborhood. I’ve always hated yard signs, but that one redefined “obnoxious.”
Like every claim on The Sign, this one was both obvious and, in another way, false. Of course science is a real thing. No one doubts that scientific inquiry has value, enabling mankind to learn important truths about the natural world. It doesn’t follow that scientists are always reliable, that they can’t be biased, or that authorities wearing the mantle of “science” should be treated as authoritative on all subjects. One of the first steps in civil discourse is expecting people to state their position clearly and without artifice. The Sign was a lovely tutorial in how not to do that.
Walking through the gauntlet of obnoxious yard signs, one feels a certain weariness. It feels as though nothing changes; the acolytes of science will never let go of their petty grudges. But perhaps that’s not true. After reading Spencer Klavan’s new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World, you may find yourself thinking over the many strange turns that science and religion have taken over the centuries in their dance vis-à-vis one another. It could be that a new era of friendship is just around the corner.
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