Sam Harris had a recent op-ed in the NYT critical of Obama’s pick for the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins. The op-ed was sharply criticized by religious apologists who deny that religion and science contradict one another. Mr. Harris answered their criticisms with a lengthy response at The Reason Project. His answer carefully demolished the defenses mustered by some in favor of Mr. Collins, who seems confused on even the most basic concepts of the religion he professes to believe in.
The simple reality is that faith in religion does not coincide in any way with the rigors of scientific inquiry. In fact, even the most rudimentary scientific logic undermines almost the entire case for religion.
But science doesn’t answer all of life’s mysteries, and it doesn’t answer basic questions of morality like defining right and wrong. This vacuum can be filled in many ways. On basic questions that remain unanswered, the best approach is to admit that we don’t know and keep trying to get closer to the truth; there is no need to invoke religion.
Scientists who claim that science and religion don’t conflict are simply being disingenuous; of course they do. But there are many great scientists who also believe in religion, and do so without the cognitive dissonance that plagues people like Mr. Collins. Scientists who profess religious faith can state plainly that religion relates to an emotional or spiritual need which, however irrational, provides fulfillment for them. This is an intellectually honest response.
Unfortunately, people like Mr. Collins give science a bad name when they refuse to admit that their religious belief is unscientific (and even claim to be operating in a sphere that somehow transcends science). One of Mr. Harris’s signal achievements in his critiques of religion is to demonstrate the incredible arrogance that is at the heart of religion: “I know the truth even without any proof or evidence.”
It is this arrogance and inability to be humble in the face of the unknown that makes Mr. Collins a bad choice for such an important position. President Obama has made a mistake; there are many people as qualified as Mr. Collins who don’t suffer from his delusions.
Jason Scorse