It's facts that impede science

A frequent complaint or charge made by atheists (etc.) against creation (or any use of creation in science) is that a belief in creation (i.e. God did it) puts and end to scientific progress.  I reject such a charge, as I don't think it holds water. The fact a person thinks God was responsible for creating something doesn't tell him how He did it, and it's the desire to understand the 'mechanics' involved that drives the creationist scientist.

What I do think hampers discovery is the oft repeated tendency of scientists to say 'x is a fact.' This is a big red light (or stop sign) that tells people nothing is left to do and that they should look elsewhere to make discoveries.

Let's start with a seemingly banal example. e.g. "It's a fact that the vitamin C made in factories is the same as the vitamin C found in oranges.'' Well; that's the end of investigation isn't it? If it's a fact we don't need to look into it any further, we don't need to think about it any more. The matter has been settled. End of story.

Does the experience of eating an orange not matter? Does the experience of growing an orange tree not matter? Does the sight and feel and smell of an orange not matter? Does peeling an orange not matter? (Scientists often seem to forget that life is more than a matter of chemistry.) How do we know that these factors don't have an affect on the body and even on how the body responds to vitamin C?

Scientists seem to love saying "X is a fact." e.g. We often hear the claim that evolution is a fact. Well; if it's a fact, that's the end of the story; and no other explanation needs to be sought. In my opinion it's this lust for facts that is the real impediment to investigation and thought. When people claim they know x is a fact they give to themselves an omnipotence of thought no one possesses. There are some questions human beings are simply incapable of answering. (Why should it be otherwise?)

Our human experience in this infinitely connected universe is far too complicated for us to be able to discern many facts... if we can discern any at all. In my view (apart from the most banal matters) it's better to pursue the truth than to arrive at a fact. (As they say, it's better to travel than to arrive.)

- Michael Johnson