Faith

In a system based on certainty, what is the role of faith?

Gödel Proved We Will Always Need Faith

There is always uncertainty in science. There is infinite information and finite knowledge. This fact means that there will always be mystery and the unknown in the universe.

This has been proven mathematically by Gödel.

No matter how far science advances, there will always be new discoveries to be made, new mysteries to be solved, things that must be bet on rather than known for sure.

If you were to calculate the Mandelbrot fractal for a million years using the fastest computer available, how much of it would still remain unknown? Infinity.

It's a big universe. There will always be mystery that requires faith to cope with it. No amount of science can take that away, it can only get slightly closer to that unobtainable goal.

Faith Versus Certainty

metaculture offers certainty without dogma. Other religions that profess to have found all the answers become rigid and dogmatic, unable to incorporate new information. Though they ostensibly ask for faith, what they really provide is certainty.

You can be certain of that for which there is evidence without claiming certainty about the unknown or the unknowable. If you hold self-correction as a core belief, and embrace science without hubris, you can walk the tightrope between faith and certainty without falling into the abyss of dogma.

Faith and Doubt

Doubt is the inevitable by-product of faith. To minimize doubt, move as much of your belief system from faith to certainty by grounding it in science. There will be plenty left to believe in when you're done.