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The Limitations of Science are Strengths
The process of Science compared to the certainty of Religion and Political Ideology
We live in a complex and messy world that can be overwhelming and confusing. There exist various ways to make sense of it to provide a sense of order and security so that we can go about living day-to-day and plan for the future. Most prominent are religion, political ideology, and science, each providing different guideposts for acting in, thinking about, and perceiving the world. These guideposts are more powerful the more unassailable in certainty, unchanging in time, and unlimited in scope and context. These guideposts may also conflict.
Science has great difficulty competing with religion and political ideology in getting the final resolution if there exist unresolved conflicts in complex or ambiguous issues. Why? The limitations of science are great in quantity and quality, relative to the unlimited and certain truths in religion and political ideology. These limitations of science are viewed as weaknesses and may imply that science is ineffective. However, the very limitations of science are features and not bugs, core strengths and not weaknesses.
Science is a candle in the demon-haunted world.
— Carl Sagan
