Ultimate Questions vs Scientific Questions

[phobos]

Some religions teach that there are ultimate questions that are not concerned with science such as "why are we here" and "what is the meaning of life," etc.

It seems to me that this is nonsense and that all questions should be investigated scientifically. If they cannot be answered scientifically it does not mean that they are ultimately unanswerable or concerned with the supernatural.

amirite?

[tame_deuces]

You are correct.

For instance, most religions would have you believe that there is a god and hence stuff works this way.

In science you'd figure out why stuff works and worry about god when you find him.

[ChrisV]

Scientific questions are questions with objective answers. If a question admits of no objective answer, it can't be investigated by science. The questions you cited above are not scientific questions because "meaning", in the sense used, is not an objective concept.

[Phil153]

Science is just common sense applied rigorously. To claim it can't investigate anything in the realm of common sense is kind of stupid.

It can't answer ultimate questions about values and desires, but neither can religion, it can only pretend to. The fact that Muslims, Christians, Jews and Hindus have hundreds of millions of followers each proves that.

[Arp220]

Yes.

Positing that certain questions are 'unanswerable' is a necessary consequence of having dogmatic assertions.

[Nielsio]

[ QUOTE ]
Some religions teach that there are ultimate questions that are not concerned with science such as "why are we here" and "what is the meaning of life," etc.

It seems to me that this is nonsense and that all questions should be investigated scientifically. If they cannot be answered scientifically it does not mean that they are ultimately unanswerable or concerned with the supernatural.

amirite?

[/ QUOTE ]


Mostly, yes.

It is the function of mythology to use the science of today to penetrate to the mystery.

Unfortunately, religion does the exact opposite. It is anti-science and anti-knowledge AND it does not penetrate to the mystery, infact, it attempts to move us away from the mystery.


I suggest: Joseph Campbell - The Hero's Journey.

[luckyme]

[ QUOTE ]
Some religions teach that there are ultimate questions that are not concerned with science such as "why are we here" and "what is the meaning of life," etc.

It seems to me that this is nonsense and that all questions should be investigated scientifically. If they cannot be answered scientifically it does not mean that they are ultimately unanswerable or concerned with the supernatural.

amirite?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not quite.
All questions should have defined terms so that we can discuss the premises, the variables and the conclusions. Until then it's meaningless babble.
So, we'd need to define "meaning" and "purpose" and then justify the premise that they do exist as defined.
Then we can discuss the role they play in our lives.

The closest we can come from the non-defined way of asking those questions is that the existence of a personal god destroys all meaning in the day to day way of using that term so theists must be talking about a different topic but not clarifying it.

luckyme