Thread: Can science be credited with building Cathedrals?

Science Laboritories as places of Pilgramages? Where are the Cathedrals that Science has built? As against that Religious Movements have always had places of Pilgramages. From belief they have created Cathedrals. Here read all places of worship. In the beginning there were no scientific movements. Places of worship were available everywhere. Religious beliefs helped in the survival of Mankind over thousands of years. I s science the new religion? Ensuring our survival from now on into the future? Discarding religion now that it has served it's purpose? It looks that way. I see no new Ely Cathedral. I see no York Minster. I see no new Vatican City.  westwind.

Originally Posted by westwind

s science the new religion?

No. Of course not.[*]

But you might be interested in this (it is what I first thought of when I read the thread title): The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories

Edit:
[*] Too brief?

Religion is tricky to define but a good start might be a system of beliefs and behaviors based on tradition, possibly including a belief in one or more deities or other supernatural entities.

Science is an evidence-based method for gathering knowledge and building better models of the world driven by the human desire to "understand" (which, arguably, is also part of the motivation for religion) and to produce useful technology. The only "faith" required is that the universe is understandable and consistent. Which, so far, seems to hold up.

I think scientific pilgrimages would be a fabulous way to link science, secularism to fulfill, the social needs of humans. That won't make it a religion. It will however use one of religion's tool to satisfy human needs.

I've seen a point by point comparison of the US freeway system to the cathedral archipelago of Europe, showing some remarkable similarities. A similar comparison with the US archipelago of sports stadiums also intrigues.

That wouldn't be science, of course - but then Americans are Romans, not Greeks. We do more along the engineering and combat line, less of the knowledge and understanding for its own sake, hippie bs.

The Large Hadron Collider is bigger and more impressive than any cathedral ever built. It is just less conspicuous, since most is underground. That is right and proper. Science is not about building cathedrals, but in gaining knowledge.

Cathedral builders needed science to create structures that would stand for hundreds of years.

Originally Posted by mathman

Cathedral builders needed science to create structures that would stand for hundreds of years.

It was just as much trial and error, based on prior success or learning from the ones that toppled. It's rather amazing much energy Europeans put into building their phallic shaped cathedrals as symbol of power for their paternal faith. If science does that it's as a joke.

If you're talking about places of learning, monastaries are closer to Christianity's contribution than cathedrals.

Dear skeptic. There's truth in what you say. Religion had plenty of time to produce practical Electricity. It took an Agnostic approach to achieve this boon to Mankind. Also on the subject of advances in Medical knowledge and practicies One branch of Science led the way here. There were always religious wars where plenty of cadavers would have been lying around but religious interestdidn't equate to a lot of progress in this field. With the religious mind bent towards miracles rather than practical applications it was left to an intelligent open mind to see beyond the confines of religios doctrine. westwind.

Originally Posted by westwind

Dear skeptic. There's truth in what you say. Religion had plenty of time to produce practical Electricity. It took an Agnostic approach to achieve this boon to Mankind. Also on the subject of advances in Medical knowledge and practicies One branch of Science led the way here. There were always religious wars where plenty of cadavers would have been lying around but religious interestdidn't equate to a lot of progress in this field. With the religious mind bent towards miracles rather than practical applications it was left to an intelligent open mind to see beyond the confines of religios doctrine. westwind.

In what way do you think an agnostic approach produced practical electricity? Maxwell was not agnostic and neither was Faraday.

By not concentrating on building Cathederals. westwind.

Originally Posted by westwind

By not concentrating on building Cathederals. westwind.

Well, that made no sense.

Originally Posted by Harold14370

Originally Posted by westwind

Dear skeptic. There's truth in what you say. Religion had plenty of time to produce practical Electricity. It took an Agnostic approach to achieve this boon to Mankind. Also on the subject of advances in Medical knowledge and practicies One branch of Science led the way here. There were always religious wars where plenty of cadavers would have been lying around but religious interestdidn't equate to a lot of progress in this field. With the religious mind bent towards miracles rather than practical applications it was left to an intelligent open mind to see beyond the confines of religios doctrine. westwind.

In what way do you think an agnostic approach produced practical electricity? Maxwell was not agnostic and neither was Faraday.

So what!! What they did had nothing to do with religion.

I generally agree that dogma adds friction to advancement, particularly when churches have full authority. It's less of an effect in secular nations (currenly under threat in the US).

So what!! What they did had nothing to do with religion.

Which is exactly the point Harold it making.

An accomplished scientist might still take his children to church every Sunday and even still believe in scriptural teaching--particularly when there is no direct contradiction such a an evolutionary biologist might have.

And even in that case, humans a have some remarkable abilities to compartmentalize their faith from other parts of their lives--both in their work or paying for a lap-dance on a Friday night.

Originally Posted by mathman

So what!! What they did had nothing to do with religion.

Correct. Neither did it have anything to do with agnosticism or atheism, which Westwind said was needed to produce practical electricity.