"The Gaping Holes of Modern Science"

When you talk to, ahem, "spiritual people" they often defend their spirituality by mentioning the "gaping holes of modern science" and saying that there's just "so much we don't know". While not completely false (there are things we don't know), here's why I'm not impressed by these statements:

1. They're vague.

2. They suggest that since we don't know everything, it's perfectly acceptable to believe in sky wizards and magic.

3. They are typically used about the wrong things.

If you're a person living in a tribe and have no concept of science, I can understand believing in magic and demons. If you're an educated person, or someone with access to the Internet, there is no excuse. No, we do not know everything, but how "I don't know the answer to this" naturally progresses to "Hm, must have been an invisible sky wizard" to some people, is something I will never be able to understand. Every day we have the potential to be smarter! Never has knowledge been so readily available as it is now. The Internet has opened whole new doors, but for some reason the door of stupidity and ignorance remains open. Tribal people with no concept of science, no books, no Internet access etc. are not by any means "stupid". They just lack knowledge. Stupidity is not the same as the lack of knowledge; stupidity is what happens when you have the knowledge but refuse to utilize it. When you are informed but choose to ignore. When you decide you want to remain plugged in to the Matrix because to you the illusion is more comfortable than reality.

Pssssst. Hint: take the red pill!

Never is this more apparent than when you talk to people about evolution. Many people like to talk about all of the "holes" in the theory of evolution, and love to point out that "it's just a theory". Let me start out by saying that if you're one of the people that does that: stop. It's really embarrassing to listen to, and you're only making a fool of yourself. Also, allow me to point out something: evolution is real. It's happening all around us, all the time. How do you think bacteria get resistant to antibiotics? They change and adapt - they evolve. Now, on to evolution as a theory. (Note: I am not an expert by any means. My knowledge of the subject is very limited. When I think of it, that's actually the scary part! I feel like I am so limited in my knowledge, but apparently even that is much more than the average Joe or Jane. Also, there is a big difference between scientific theories and your every day theories. Google it!) The theory of evolution is not some lackluster, easily debunked piece of child's play: it is one of the most solid theories of modern science, and it's supported by a wealth of evidence. If you bothered to read just a single journal article on the subject, you would know this! 

This picture made me laugh.

On the subject of "gaping holes" (I know you get pornographic images in your mind every time your read that): exactly what "gaping holes" of modern science are we talking about? I'm sure there are some, but if you're going to use this as an excuse for believing in fairies and unicorns (or gods), I would like to know exactly what they are. I'm curious as to what lack of knowledge could possibly excuse adults having imaginary friends.

What the kid said!

On Facebook, I saw someone use this in a discussion about how faulty science is: "They used to think the world was flat". This is a terrible argument! People have hypothesized that the world is round since at least the 3rd of 4th century BC. The person then went on to talk about "inner truth" or your "personal truth" or something. Let me tell you one thing: there is no "your truth". There is only truth, and then lies you tell yourself. Let's all make an effort to live in the real world, shall we?

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Yours,