Religion, Science, & Unfalsifiability

Recently an interlocutor of mine claimed that religious beliefs, unlike scientific beliefs, are unfalsifiable. But beliefs of these two sorts don’t differ in this way. There is evidence for and evidence against both types of beliefs. So both kinds are at least theoretically verifiable and falsifiable. Moreover, when believers persist in maintaining beliefs in either category in the face of counterevidence, they often do so because they have adequate grounds for those beliefs and insufficient reason to think the contrary evidence is decisive. In these cases, though the beliefs are practically unfalsified, it doesn’t follow that they are theoretically unfalsifiable. 

Science as Religion

The “New Atheists” (Harris, Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens, and others) think religious believers are irrational and religion is dangerous. They contend we would be better off without it. What do they recommend instead? Harris proposes a science-based spirituality of meditation, Dawkins extols empowerment from scientific knowledge of the natural world, Dennett affirms a sense of humble selflessness caused by awareness of the universe’s complexity, and Hitchens values unrestricted scientific inquiry leading to human enlightenment and liberation. Clearly, each of them desires an experience of transcendence through science. It appears that rather than replacing religion with science they are making science religion.

Conservatives, Liberals, & Demonization

In The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, Jonathan Haidt discusses how conservatives and liberals in the U.S. have become polarized – to the detriment of the common good. He says his social psychological research shows both groups sacralize different values (conservatives personal responsibility and liberals compassion for others) and so are at odds over taxation for welfare. And because politics has thus become religion, the groups demonize rather than try to understand and work with each other. Haidt hopes we can eventually adopt norms discouraging demonization just as we came to disapprove of sexual harassment.