Science, Belief, Knowledge and Sorting Out Language

Here are some quotes from a position (and plea) presented presented by Dr. Helen Quinn that summarize my thoughts on faith, belief and knowledge (science).

“When a person hears ‘scientists believe,’ he or she may hear it as a statement of faith or a suggestion of uncertainty. Neither is what we intend.
 
“What do we mean by ‘scientists believe that …’? Typically it is something like ‘Most scientists agree that the preponderance of the evidence favors the interpretation that …, and furthermore, there is no evidence that directly contradicts that interpretation.’ Clumsy language perhaps, but it would behoove us to say something like it more often. If we need a shorthand version, we can replace it by ‘Scientific evidence supports the conclusion that ….’ Sometimes we should just say ‘We know that ….’ In other words, we need to articulate more precisely the state of our knowledge—its authority or uncertainty. …
 
“We could, and I think should, excise the word “believe” from our vocabulary when talking about science.”

— Helen Quinn: a theoretical particle physicist at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and a former president of the American Physical Society

Original article here.

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