Posted by fschmidt on
URL: https://mikraite.arkian.net/Truth-and-Alternatives-tp1898p2582.html

Science is intrinsically imperfect.  Its goal is produce increasingly useful models of the world, and it does this quite well.

I personally follow the Old Testament which rejects the idea of truth.  And truth is absolute by definition.  A scientist who believes in truth would say that science comes increasingly close to the truth.  I just wouldn't express this idea since I don't believe in truth.  To make this more concrete, one can look at conflicting scriptures.  There are a number of small conflicts between the Old Testament and the Quran.  Someone who believes in truth would say that where there is conflict, one must be right and the other wrong.  But I wouldn't say this because if 2 conflicting belief systems both work then they are both good.  The conflict only means that one should follow one or the other, not both.  But neither is wrong.  The Quran is based on the idea of truth while the Old Testament isn't.  So a Muslim would say that the Old Testament is false where it conflicts with the Quran, while a follower of the Old Testament would only say that the Quran is a different system and people are free to choose which to follow.