Philosophy and IdeasOn Science and philosophyThe philosophy of science is about as useful to scientists as ornithology is to birds.-- Richard Feynman XKCD on CorrelationMore XKCDWould you accept advice from a believer in Santa?From a letter in NatureThis view [that religion has some privileged position in ethical debates] is reflected in many public discussions of moral issues, where the obligatory priest or rabbi is wheeled out to comment on some topic, in spite of their utter lack of any qualification other than a belief in a paranormal entity that created the Universe and all it contains. Would you be prepared to accept fundamental advice from someone who insisted that Father Christmas was real? -- David J Hoskens DarwbertDemocracy and religionThe most sane opinions I have found on the matter of the relation between democracy and religion are due to Mustafa Akyol and Zeyno Baran, who work on a Muslim manifesto in National Review Online (found through Neo):We support and cherish democracy — not because we reject the sovereignty of the Almighty over people, but because we believe that this sovereignty is manifested in the general will of people in a democratic and pluralistic society. We do not accept theocratic rule-not because we do not wish to obey Allah, but because theocratic rule inevitably becomes rule by fallible (and sometimes corrupt and misguided) humans in the name of the infallible God. Snabb Svensk historia
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