The radical novelty of modern science lies precisely in the rejection of the belief, which is at the heart of all popular religion, that the forces which move the stars and atoms are contingent upon the preferences of the human heart.
- Walter Lippman, quoted in 2000 Years of Disbelief, by James A. Haught.

There is a lot of debate about whether science and religion conflict. Religious apologists commonly argue that, properly understood, the two are compatible. Materialists commonly argue that the two rely upon such diametrically opposed premises that it simply isn't possible for them not to conflict. Who is right?

Lippman's observation above is an important one because it addresses people's feelings about the world around them and the manner in which they interact with it. This is, after all, a fundamental reason why both religion and science developed in the first place.

What Lippman describes as the attitude of traditional religion is also true of many paranormal beliefs we see today and he is, I think, pointing out a fundamental desire that drives both paranormal and religious beliefs: the desire to influence the very nature of the universe around us to suit our desires. People pray for hurricanes to turn away and they visit astrologers who tell them how to avoid problems. Why? Because they believe that the movement of stars and atoms can be affected merely from the desire that it be so.

Science, however, undermines the human conceit that the universe is or should be structured according to human whim. Science reveals that the universe is wholly indifferent to us, our desires, and even our suffering. Science also provides the means by which we ourselves can cause changes or alleviate suffering, but only by working with nature and with the way the universe is structured. We cannot, for example, turn away a hurricane but we can use science to predict them and build structures better able to withstand the onslaught of the storm.

As a consequence, science presents us with a stark choice about how to approach the world around us. One the one hand we can continue with the prayers that arise out of the wish that the order of the universe might rearrange itself according to the preferences or our hearts or, on the other hand, we can move forward with the scientific project of learning more about the universe and, therefore, learning how we can better make our homes with what we have.

Religion has never cured a disease, protected people from a storm, or saved anyone from the ravages of old age. Science, however, has made tremendous gains with all of these and more. There is a reason for that.

More Weekly Quotes: commentary and analysis each week on a different quotation dealing with philosophy, religion, and more.