Custom essays on Scientific Knowledge as a Form of Religion

Abstract
Today, science has become an integral; part of the life of the modern society. At the same time, the effect and essence of science are quite controversial. On the one hand, science contributes to the formation of materialistic, atheistic views. On the other hand, science is still a form of religion because it is quite subjective and, to a certain extent, grounded on faith.

 
Introduction
Traditionally, science played an important part in the development of human civilization. Science is normally associated with technological progress of the society and contributes to the accelerated development of the human society due to the introduction of innovations which facilitate the life of people and open new opportunities for socioeconomic development. At the same time, science is a very controversial concept because science always contrasts to religion. At this point, it is possible to speak about the original antagonism between science and religion because historically religion was prior to science, whereas science challenged traditional religious concepts. Science implies the critical research of the surrounding reality and natural phenomena, whereas religion implies the domination of faith, which should be prior to human knowledge which emerges from science and scientific researches. However, on analyzing the essence of science, it turns out that science is not absolutely objective as it may seem to be at first glance. In stark contrast, many researchers (Snow, 1959; Davies, 2007) argue that science is subjective and affected by certain stereotypes and biases which influence the overall perception of the scientific knowledge. In such a context, science proves to be quite controversial for, on the one hand, it does promote the idea of objective study and critical evaluation of facts and human knowledge of the surrounding world, whereas, on the other hand, science is influenced by various stereotypes and implies the existence of certain faith which makes science a sort of religion, a new religion, which replaced the traditional one.
Scientific knowledge as prevalent over religious one
On analyzing the current development of science, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that science increases its impact on the life of the modern society. In actuality, the scientific knowledge prevails in the modern society to the extent that it forms the personal philosophy and the perception of the surrounding world by individuals. What is meant here is the fact that science provides poele with the logical, reasonable explanation of various facts, phenomena and concepts which exist or occur in the real world and which people can observe in their regular life. Moreover, the modern science has already overcome the boundaries of the visible world and it has leapt beyond the physical abilities of individual to perceive the surrounding world. The study of the outer space, microbiology, and other branches of the modern science lead to discoveries which used to be unthinkable in the past. The modern science can explain facts and phenomena which used to be inexplicable. No wonder, people start believing in science as the almighty power which can grant the mankind with explanation of any facts and phenomena that exist objectively. Hence, people tend to believe in and to science blindly to the extent that they fail to evaluate critically scientific facts and discoveries. This is actually why it is possible to speak about science as a new religion.
Such an overwhelming impact of science on the life of the modern society and the perception of the surrounding world by individuals leads to the formation of atheistic views in people, while religion steadily degrades becoming absolutely out-of-date because religious concepts turn to be absolutely irrelevant and naïve in the time of the total domination of materialistic, scientific views. In such a situation, religion turns out to be unable to compete with the modern science.
At the same time, science keeps progressing but its overwhelming impact on the life of the modern society and its domination over religion are potentially dangerous because scientific knowledge can slip toward subjectivity leading to the inadequate perception of the surrounding world, facts and phenomena. In this respect, it is quite noteworthy to refer to Bacon’s argument concerning science and scientific knowledge. Bacon argued that scientists and philosophers may be grouped into two categories. On the one hand, there are philosophers or scientists who stand on the ground that science can never provide people with absolute knowledge. To put it in simple words, humans can never know absolutely everything. On the other hand, Bacon distinguishes philosophers and scientists who believe in science blindly (Bacon, 64). These philosophers stand on the ground that human understanding of laws of nature is possible and it is through the scientific knowledge, researches and studies people can give insight into concepts, facts and phenomena which used to be unknown in the past. In such a way, science can steadily reveal all the secrets of nature and provide people with the absolute knowledge of natural laws.