People sometimes talk about the things they believe, and equate their beliefs with absolute truth. Belief, in actuality, is aspirational and based on hope — a big contrast to what we know as science. When we think of belief and science as synonyms, we blur the picture of reality and make it that much more difficult to move forward and progress as a species. The reality is there are some things we believe in that aren’t found to be factually true, and some scientific findings that we don’t want to believe! It is for these reasons that separating belief from science is not always easy, yet it is vitally important that we do so.
Defining terms
In order to further develop this conversation, we must first define our terms:
Belief: Something that is accepted, considered to be true, or held as an opinion.
Science: Knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through the scientific method.
We can believe in just about anything, but our belief does not make something factually true. For example, you can believe in Santa Claus delivering presents around the world, Bigfoot, and alien crop circles; however, there is currently no objective evidence to support the existence of any of these things. These days a lot of people see a random meme on the internet and simply believe it to be true — yet have no evidence or data to support the claim. Thankfully, scientists use much more rigor when trying to determine fact from fiction, and it is the scientific method that has allowed us to eliminate deadly diseases, enjoy better health, and live longer.
Science, built upon the scientific method, employs objectivity and uses data to better understand problems that exist. Scientists only use belief when setting up a hypothesis, and even then, if their hypothesis (initial belief) is not confirmed by scientific evidence, the hypothesis (belief) is found to be not true. Notice, it is the data that makes this determination, and not someone who simply believes something to be true.
Belief is a wonderful thing, and it is belief that allows humans to set goals they never thought possible, or overcome daunting health problems (in conjunction with modern medicine). But belief alone does not lead to facts, truth, or any kind of demonstrable evidence toward what you want to see as true. When belief and science blend together, it can unfortunately leave people in a confused state, and not quite sure of what (or who) to trust.
Both belief and science have their place in our lives, but it is important to differentiate between the two. You can believe just about anything you want, but the same is not true with science. We can’t “believe” that rubbing a gem stone on your arm will make you cancer-free, but we can believe that our favorite football team is going to win the championship this year. Belief can be used in countless inspirational ways, from believing you will get in better shape (and then putting in the work) to believing you will get a better job (then going and getting your resume out). Belief alone, however, is not science, and should not be interpreted in the same way as scientific results.
Final thoughts
Saying “Well, I just believe it” is not only a weak way to establish an argument, it is also potentially dangerous. Belief most certainly has its place in our lives, but so, too, does science — and it’s important that we use both in the best ways possible. The scientific method, while not perfect, provides for the best possible way for humans to better understand the world around us. Science is based on objectivity, fairness, and perhaps most importantly true findings, even if those findings are different than what the scientist expected and/or hoped would be found! In other words, you want your doctor to say she is prescribing a treatment to you based on scientific findings, not because she read a silly meme on Facebook!
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