Wisdom  
Philip B. Carter
American Scientist (May 2007)

Belief
Religion
Science
Truth
The role of the scientist is to search for the truth, not attempt to prove a belief. In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, the young wanderer, Govinda, is cautioned not to go looking for something but rather to find what is there ("... as a result of your seeking you cannot find"). Science has strict processes for judging what constitutes knowledge. An individual's musings constitute only the beginning, the creation of hypotheses. Testing of hypotheses, followed by peers' careful evaluation and rigorous critiques, may ultimately lead to theories. A scientific theory is not "just" a theory; it represents a very high level of knowledge acquisition. Religious belief is different.
   
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