Constantly we hear in the news that another Imam or Pastor, or other religious leader denounces some scientific discovery.  Even worse, there are the Creationist versus Evolutionist battles in places such as the school board in the USA’s state of Kansas.  Yet is this even logically possible?  Can the Quantum Physics versus Newtonian Physics people claim that one is “wrong?” 

Although on the face of it, this last statement seems particularly absurd, I attest to you that both arguments fall equally short of being reasonable.  They are tautologically impossible.  Their logic cannot exist as they explain the same phenomenon in at least two different ways for a minimum two different purposes.  Both explain the same thing in different ways in order to accomplish something. 

Mom says that God brings a baby to the womb through divine inspiration, personally kissing each child on the head.  Dad says that him and mom lay together and each take part of themselves to combine into a baby which grows in mommy’s belly.  Is one wrong?  Each seeks to answer a different question. 

One seeks to provide a “how,” and another a “why?”  This is not new information for those of you who read other parts of my writing, such as “the how and the why,” nor is it new for those who have sat and reasoned the logic out.  What I am showing here that is different, is that each describe a model of reality.  Neither is right or wrong. 

When I took Chemistry my first teacher taught us the model of significant figures.  It stated that an answer could not be given in a greater level of detail than the lowest level of detail in any of its composite parts.  In plain terms this means that if one unit of measurement is only accurate to two decimal places, one cannot give the answer in the form of four decimal places. 

Each model of reality has its own level of specificity and purpose.  If one philosophy is used to explain how to split an atom it serves a completely different purpose than the physics of a good curveball or karate punch.  Is one right, and another wrong?  That depends on what you are trying to explain.  According to the physics of atom splitting, you cannot hit someone else.  You have a probability based upon electron shells etc. that you may connect with one person. 

Yet I stand still in front of my pitch or punch.  I guarantee that is a bad idea.  Your philosophy will not protect your nose. 

So what I am introducing here, is that one cannot fault evolution or religion on its face, per se.  It is what you are using it to try to justify that needs examination.  Using religion to decide how to pasteurize your food is ridiculous, yet telling you “why” may have use.  Regardless, science is a method of reasoning out causes and effects in order to better our physical position on the earth.  When only applied to objects it leads to Utilitarianism, a philosophy used to justify such depredations as those used by the Nazi’s. 

When applied to subjects such as consciousness and the individual, it leads to philosophy and eventually religion.  What is the purpose of religion?  It is supposed to be a “Science of Perfect Living.”  We shall leave that for another day.  We must always remember to look at the logical foundations of a model and what the user of it tries to justify.  This frees us to make informed and educated decisions. 

Economics makes models of reality all the time without ever spawning the friction of the scientific and religious debate.  There are two main reasons why.  One, no one ever reads the economic models!  And two, everyone knows that they are an approximation of reality.  Truly, religion and science are no different.  Each approximates reality in order to make an argument that leads to a given result. 

No description can ever capture an infinite reality that lasts forever.  Once you describe the infinite, it become finite and circumscribed by your argument.  Then there are places where your subject does not exist, outside your carefully constructed description.  Thus it is not in all places in all times, and voila, it does not exist forever.  It is time and space conditional.  If there are places which it does not exist it is not eternal. 

Everything is an approximation in both science and religion.  Remember significant figures and economics, both are models used to describe reality in order to accomplish a given purpose.  Remember the purposes of the models and confine them to their useful arenas.