The role of Science

I was listening to Episode #104 of Astronomy cast, and Dr Pamela Gay, one of the hosts ended the show with a comment (after the 57 minute mark) I felt was worth sharing:

There is a lot of mystery in the universe, and every new piece of information we find gives us a little bit more understanding, and just makes the picture we're trying to paint a little bit bigger and requires a lot more paint.

It's a wonderful marvellous universe filled with science that we're still trying to understand, and because we don't understand it people mistake it for magic. As scientists it's our job to describe the magic, and give it equations, and give it math, and give it graphs and give it computer models, and basically to beat things into a bloody pulp of understanding.

At this point, I'm sure some of you are reeling and confused, give my Christian faith and all. Let me explain ...

I believe that the universe is fundamentally knowable - that there is nothing about the way it works that is out of bounds, nothing fenced off with a sign saying "off limits", nothing that cannot be known.

I also believe that we are created in Gods image, with skills of observation and logic and insight and introspection that we should use to the best of our ability.

To refuse to use those talents to understand the world around us - to willingly and deliberately cover our heads with our hands and shout "la la la" at the top of our lungs to keep out reality - is to deny both our own nature and the nature of the loving God who blessed us with those skills in the first place.