From: "JACK L. URETSKY (C)1998; HEP DIVISION, ARGONNE NATIONAL LAB ARGONNE, IL 60439" <JLU@HEP.ANL.GOV>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 07:30:37 -0500
Hi all-
William Beaty writes:
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Religions deal with things beyond the scope of science.
I don't agree. Here's why. Does the "invisible world" of religions
exist? This might be hard to prove, but also it might not, and we cannot
know unless we expend genuine unbiased efforts to look into the question.
Suppose we intensively and professionally investigate the more-reliable
reported contacts with the dead, or contacts with angels, or communication
with any other supposed beings of the "invisible world." Suppose we find
some of these which can give us information not available through any
other means. (Get your dead grandpa to tell you where he hid his will,
get nonphysical beings to give the name and location of lost wrecked
ships, etc.)
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But anyone of us is free to do this. When "cold fusion" came on
the scene a large number of researchers devoted time to investigating the
subject, as an example. So, have at it, Bill, with my blessing!
In the process of doing science, most of us have our own agendas =
the things that interest us. The last thing I need is someone (other than
a VERY respected colleague) to come up and say, "Why don't you do research
on...." Psychologically, I think, such proposals are akin to "Let's you
and him fight."
Regards,
Jack
"These several facts prove nothing, for one cannot deduce a principle from so
few examples, but they do at least indicate that the ability to learn to spell
correctly is a gift; that it is born in a person, and that it is a sign of
intellectual inferiority. By parity of reasoning, its absence is a sign of
great mental power."
Mark Twain, "Extract from Eve's Diary'.