Whenever I take some time out of my day to tap on that little blue F icon sitting inconspicuously on the home page of my phone, I am reminded that an outside world exists far beyond my comprehension. In fact, I am told that there are over 7 billion other people out there, each with their own beliefs, opinions, backgrounds, family histories, etc. Of those 7.125 billion people, I am “friends” with just over 1,400 of them (most of whom I only know casually), and from each of them I am allowed a glimpse into their lives through the things they choose to put on social media. What have I realized over all of this time? I have realized that I am extremely lucky to be a scientist.
Many scientists share this seemingly insane belief that facts are shaped by evidence we can observe whether directly or indirectly. In a world today where everyone feels entitled to having their opinions be given equal treatment, this suddenly creates a strange feeling because any educated person knows that not all opinions are created equal. If you are of the opinion that the falling rain is the tears of angels crying in heaven, then one might find you a little insane. If you believe that there is a god of the sun that pulls a glowing orb across the sky while riding a chariot, then you may be criticized for having an outdated system of beliefs. All opinions are not created equal, unless they are based on facts, observations, and logical, rational deduction. That is what studying science has taught me.
I was lucky to learn that when I did, at a crucial time in my life when I was just beginning to create informed opinions about the world in which I live. I had perfect timing to realize that my beliefs and opinions should be shaped by rational thought, not but profound but unsubstantiated claims. Taking life at face value seemed no longer an option for me. I knew that if I were to be an educated human being I would need to dig deeper into the problems that confront myself and those around me and look for the right answers to the big questions instead of the most readily available ones. It started with issues of scientific origins, like vaccines and their link to autism or the human factor in climate change, but quickly spread to issues that carried much more social weight like political matters, global affairs and social issues.
I was taught to look for the underlying causes, the intricate interactions between things in our world. I was given the tools to pursue intelligent lines of inquiry, the ability to ask profound questions and to only accept answers that were based in fact, not in opinion. All of this has made me a more informed person with regard to every aspect of my life, whether it be my spiritual beliefs or my scientific opinions. The problem is that there are still people in this world who leave it to others to do this kind of profound thinking for them. They allow their opinions and thoughts to be shaped by the opinions and thoughts of the people they see on TV or on the internet without as much as an attempt to second-guess it.
This whole idea makes me think that if more people were educated in the ability to ask questions and think critically for themselves we might actually live in a world where people wouldn’t go un-vaccinated for non-medical reasons, or where prejudices would seem irrational and uninformed. There are social issues and global political issues that would be either ameliorated or totally obliterated if it were for rational, objective thought being the prevalent modus operandi for people, but it is not.
I mentioned in the title that science has made me agnostic, and I want to make it clear that I am in no way denouncing religion as an important factor in society today. I have opinions on it, but I will save those for another place and another time. The point is that I have been so exposed to evidence-based beliefs that I have managed to rationalize myself right out of religion. This is far from a comforting thought, and in fact it is something that has caused my a great deal of personal conflict. I was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church, and for years never once questioned my faith right up until I started seriously studying science.
The end result of my studies and interacting with others in the scientific community is something that can only be described as a knowing sense of wonder about the world. I have been taught that the world is full of undiscovered wonders that range from the microscopic mechanisms that create life as we know it, to the unseen forces that shaped the universe as we know it. I have seen chemists speak with the same amount of conviction and belief about something they have never seen as any cleric or priest. I have seen biologists and physicists come up with just as awe inspiring of an explanation about the origin of life and the universe as any writer of a sacred text. Interacting with these people, as well as reading the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig, has shown me the idea of “The Church of Reason” which you can read more about HERE. This is an idea I hope to speak more on later, but for now this is where I will leave this idea.
The moral of this story is that studying science has changed my life. There is no more profound an experience than to realize how beautifully complex and astounding this world really is, and I wish that so many more people could see the world through the eyes that I have developed over the years. This is why we need to spread this study of not just science but all other disciplines. If we can show people the amazing interconnectedness and the underlying complexities that make up the world in which we live, then maybe we can convince them that large issues are fixable, and small issues can be a sign of something bigger. This is the view we need if we are going to ever change anything.
