On Mon, 5 May 2003, Doug Henwood wrote:
> Miles Jackson wrote:
>
> >In a society that
> >values science as we do,
>
> Some of us do - but 70%+ of Americans believe in heaven, hell,
> angels, and daily prayer. Significant minorities believe in
> astrology, health quackery, reincarnation, and shape shifting. So
> which "we" are you talking about?
>
> Doug
Well, that was my point in a previous post. Relative to many other societies in human history, we're pretty enthusiastic about science. But that's not saying too much. What people consider to be "certain knowledge", even in our society, does not always require scientific verification. Ironically, the standards of certainty are contingent on situations, beliefs, and social pressures!
Miles