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Permalink Reply by Reggie on January 8, 2012 at 11:18pm

Perception of reality is subjective.

Reality is objective.

That is why science works so well is because it controls for the subjective in order to realize the objective.  Religion embraces the subjective in order to ignore the objective.

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Permalink Reply by Nelson on January 9, 2012 at 3:29pm

^This.^

Reggie nailed it.

I also think of something Penn Jillette said:

"If every trace of any single religion died out and nothing were passed on, it would never be created exactly that way again. There might be some other nonsense in its place, but not that exact nonsense. If all of science were wiped out, it would still be true and someone would find a way to figure it all out again."

That's the difference between subjective and objective. Objective reality is the same whether we're here or not. Subjective [perception of] reality ONLY IS insofar as we're here.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Karp on January 9, 2012 at 3:53pm

Well worded indeed Reggie.

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Permalink Reply by Blondin on January 10, 2012 at 10:49am

What Reggie said.

To quote Philip K Dick: Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.

The scientific method helps us to asymptotically approach the truth about reality. New data could always cast doubt on or partially disprove any particular theory but science ensures that we are generally less wrong than we were before. If that isn't good enough for some people then they are free to come up with a better system, but "making shit up" isn't it.

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Permalink Reply by Rob Klaers on January 10, 2012 at 1:35pm

I have to agree.. Reggie nailed it. 

I'd like to add...

It's because perception of reality is so subjective that there are so many religions and so many sects of religion. If perception wasn't subjective there would be just one religion. 

It's also why an event can happen and you can have as many different versions of it as there were people who witnessed it. Then science comes in gives it an objective stance and show it was only a weather balloon or a rare atmospheric condition caused by agitated atoms as a result of the sun's rays hitting at a particular angle... 

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Permalink Reply by No Nick for me on February 5, 2012 at 10:57pm

Or a weather baloon reflecting swamp gas light that came from the venus. (Men in Black)

P.S.: This is now my favourite threat in any forum, ever. If people would just realize this, we would live in a better world.

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