06.18.08
It Doesn’t Take an Einstein
The problem with using scientists’ words to support religious beliefs. By Michael Weiss
Slate article on Einstein’s letter eschewing religion.
When the letter was made public, many of the faithful reacted with casuistry or anger. Dan Porter, a Christian blogger, dismissed it and quoted Einstein’s more religion-friendly gobbets, which Porter suggests should be added to man’s corpus of “substantive thinking.” Einstein was “no more an authority on religion than Pope Benedict XVI is on quantum physics,” added Catholic writer Elizabeth Scalia, who then felt obliged to compare the nonquantum physicist’s worldview to a tautological parable about monotheism favored by one Joseph Ratzinger.
http://www.slate.com/id/2193557/pagenum/all/#page_start
The article is well-written but towards the end, the author indicates how little he understands of the differences between objective justification and subjective justification and the implications of the term “faith” in both science and religion.
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imeeh tannagan said,
June 21, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Re:i Wonder wat has Einstein Wrote…can i hav some copies of it?Im just really amazed….!
Paul Pardi said,
June 22, 2008 at 12:36 am
The entire quote is in the Slate article that is linked at the end of the Philosophy News post.