Atheists: should anyone have a dogmatic approach towards science?

There is a ubiquitous assumption about Christians and Theists. It is often assumed that we dare not question the Bible nor God. Although it may be true to some small degree, many Christians are also skeptics, and many of us approach things with a healthy degree of skepticism. I question God all the time. I question the Bible all the time. Christian is not synonymous with brain dead, contrary to popular belief.



But do the people who believe in science believe everything that they encounter in the scientific realm? Do you think that it's okay to question religion, but not science? Why would you think so?Atheists: should anyone have a dogmatic approach towards science?
Science is wonderful because we have the ability to investigate it for ourselves.



By definition, all experiments are repeatable.



But only the fool believes something and states it as fact without knowing it and understanding it for himself. True intellectualism flies passed most people because they simply read something and assume it's fact because they trust the people that are telling them, this is natural because we are naturally very trusting creatures.



But we must avoid doing this, lest we become fools ourselves.
Science MUST be questioned, or it isn't science.



Questioning science is literally part of the scientific method. You should accept nothing except that it properly accounts for or addresses all of the observed facts, and if there are any known limitations, it should identify them.



For example, the Newtonian theory of gravity could not account entirely for Mercury's orbit. Sure, it did well enough for most purposes, and no better model was available, so, we stuck with it until Albert Einstein came along and penned the General Theory of Relativity, which did explain Mercury's orbit. However, we know the General Theory of Relativity to be critically flawed (it's analog, while all modern formulations of quantum physics require a digital model), but until we have a better model, it's the best we've got, and we simply acknowledge its limitations until such time as we have a digital quantum model.Atheists: should anyone have a dogmatic approach towards science?
Science is always improving itself, it can't be dogmatic.

If a scientist comes along who disproves a widely accepted theory...
...instead of getting tied to a stake and burnt alive...
they get congratulated and given awards.

Science is the closest thing we have to the truth... because it never takes anything for granted.

Religion on the other hand, thinks it has it all figured out, and takes centuries to accept when it has made a mistake. It is the very definition of dogma.Atheists: should anyone have a dogmatic approach towards science?
You obviously have no idea what science is. By nature it requires questioning, as the scientific process demands constant experimenting and observation. Religion demands obedience and blind faith. Just because you "claim" to question it doesn't mean that's the nature of religion itself.
Sure its ok to question science, the reason we may appear dogmatic is our defence of basic principles of science, just like in maths there is still research and debate, but if people started asking "is 1+1 really 2?" then tempers would rise.

Evolution is the corner stone of all modern biology (go look at a life expectancy table for the last century to see what modern biology has done for you), and whilst we are happy to question the nuances of evolution when people come along with some stupid 2nd law of thermodynamics denial of evolution we lose our tempers and become dogmatic.
i dotn think so no, but you cant change who a personis, if they are dogmatic then its what they will be



do i personally believe everything every scientist says, course not, but i 'believe' facts, and i beleive scientists based on what we know at the given time, till new info comes up, as it does

i dont think they know everything, but they are the experts after all



science isnt the thing in question,l its scientists, ie the peopel who study science
No. One of the great things about science is that it is subject to change when new evidence is discovered. If a theory makes sense and has evidence that backs it up we should have no reasonable need to question it, but should we find that we have judged in error we should always amend our assumptions to better fit the evidence. That is the essence of the scientific method.
Science is questioned all the time, to even suggest it isn't is ridiculas.



As for theists questioning their religion. It seems to me that it's not the fact that you don't question your beliefs, it's that you ignore the answers!



God B. Less!
You have it backwards. You are always supposed to question science. Skepticism is the very nature of what science is. Our understanding of the world through science cannot grow without questioning.
You're definitely in the wrong section to get a proper answer to that question. Try the Science and Mathematics section. They'll soon tell you (very eloquently) where to stick your dogmas.
You're correct; science, as with everything else should be questioned. And there is indeed dogma in science; for example, many people will baldly assert that it's impossible to travel faster than light even though they don't understand relativity.
Just for people who say you can't approach science dogmatically. You can.



"I accept as true, everything [name of a theoretical physicist] claims."
To not question science, is to defeat it's very purpose... Science doesn't require believers, it requires doers to perform the tests and work to further our understanding of our universe....
Absolutely not. A healthy skepticism is a requirement in science.
Of course not. Respect in science is earned through proposing new ideas and challenging old ones.
Only when dealing with proven facts
No.
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It really comes down to a question of the credibility of the spokes person.



A Scientist is typically is a person that has been highly educated about the subject matter they profess and speak on. When a scientist speaks they are rigidly questioned by their peers. Scientific discovery proves itself over time with no need for belief from the outside world.



If a person calls their self a Scientist and has not passed the courses by demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and consequently received no degree,

their peers and the world at large disregards and ignores them totally concerning the subject of science.



If a scientist speak on subjects they are not qualified to speak on it can cost them their career.



Christianity on the other hand only requires that a person claim to believe in the information they may not even be familiar with - found in the New Testament of the bible. The *Christian* need not so much as read the bible to profess to be a Christian and some sort of authority on God and how other people should conduct their lives, and worse yet many claim to be spokes persons for God - which by the very nature of the world we live in, is a being that could only be known by *Faith* which the bible itself defines as belief in things not seen.



Anybody can be a Christian, a rapist, a murderer, a bank robber, a person who is illiterate, or has severe brain damage, a small child, anybody at all - and any of those people may feel their self empowered to speak on the subject with great vigor and authority at any given time.



Science on the other hand is nowhere so liberal about who it allows and encourages to speak on its behalf.



The truth is Atheists, Scientists, Agnostics, and many nonreligious people, are no different than anyone else, they hold everyone to a standard, and when an unqualified contemptuous Christian or Atheist attacks what they believe to be true with gibberish, the result will be the same for the Christian and the Atheist alike.



It is my hope to advocate peace between people of differing beliefs through understanding, which is amazingly difficult in a world where people so often define themselves and others by labels.



Peace!