Science and fundamentalism

Re “Fundamentalism for adults only,” Current, Nov. 26

Michael Bywater wrongly blames science for the deficiencies of those who do not understand it. He claims that science includes “articles of faith,” when in fact it deals exclusively with logic and mathematically quantifiable confidence. He tries to equate religion and science, but only the latter necessarily shows its work.

Bywater characterizes religion as a “valid way of thinking,” though logical validity entails truth preservation, which faith does not. Religion also “delivers results,” but only in the form of comfort, not knowledge. Rather than “admitting no doubt,” science determines, admits and quantifies it.

Bywater regrets that certain scientific assertions are tautological, as is every mathematical equation. “Not to acknowledge” his falsehoods, Bywater claims, would be infantile. Ethically, whether or not logic is mature, it is tautologically correct.

JIM JOHNSON

Whittier

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Let me get Bywater’s Op-Ed straight: Fundamentalism has childish and adult aspects, and so does “regular” religion. Science doesn’t have all the answers, and it is fundamentalist. Therefore, only childish/fundamentalist atheists would refuse to embrace religion like everybody else. Is Bywater really trying to open up atheists’ minds to his perceived necessity of being religious, or is he just preaching to the already converted, selling them his books filled with this absurd rhetoric? Looks like the latter to me.

ARNAUD FORESTIER

Irvine

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I must take exception with Bywater’s argument for the equivalency of science and fundamentalism. Although I agree that science is complex and difficult to understand by laymen, using this observation to equate statements of scientific fact with the arbitrary proclamations of ancient texts of uncertain origin and, more important, unverifiable authority shows a profound lack of understanding of science and the scientific method.

In the end, it’s not what science says or hypothesizes about that is important, but the fact that what is said is verifiable and testable. This is why fundamentalists may sit in the dark and pray endlessly for light, but a layman, without understanding why or even how, may walk over to the wall and flip a switch created by scientists and dispel the darkness as well as any doubt.

MARK A. PUMAR

Northridge