User:LGreg/sandbox/Approaches to Knowledge (LG seminar)/ Group 2/Truth/Religion & Natural Sciences

Religion

 * Religions that have a holy book rely on their scripts
 * Those that don’t have a holy book rely on the teachings and traditions that descended from their past
 * Testimonies
 * Religious leaders
 * History
 * Spiritual beliefs

Natural sciences

 * Proof, evidence
 * Laws (physics, chemistry)
 * Theories (theory of evolution in biology)
 * Unlike religion, the truths of natural sciences aren’t set, they are constantly evolving

Religion
Truths in religious contexts can be interpreted as beliefs that arise from either historical or doctrinal backgrounds. Andrzej Bronk states that "every religion is a confession of faith for in each of them its believers foster some hopes about the hereafter world", hence the realisation and evaluation of truth in religion is heavily related to faith and spirituality, rather than following a systematic/experimental approach. There is no apparent need for proving or testing truths, because they are associated with the metaphysical world and are set; they do not change overtime with new discoveries.

Natural Sciences
Truth in the natural sciences appear as facts, figures, theories and laws that are derived by using the scientific method. A hypothesis gains validity and becomes a truth if there is sufficient evidence that backs it up. However, unlike religion, within natural sciences, "falsifiability" is a very important factor when defining truth. According to Karl Popper, "nothing that cannot be falsified can be called a scientific hypothesis/theory". So, within natural sciences, truths are constantly evolving and changing with new scientific discoveries/advancements, and the most reliable way of evaluating/realising their validity is through repeatable experiments.

Religion
The truths/beliefs of a religion will determine whether someone will believe in that religion. As Andrzej Bronk from The Catholic University of Lublin said in his article ” A religion is true in the sense that it states that the transcendent, supernatural, sacred reality exists” The believers through the truth are looking for authenticity and absoluteness of their religion. This is why truth is so important in religion, it is one of the key concepts.

Natural Sciences
Scientists want to be as close to the truth as possible. Their aim is to make sense of the environment/world we live in and to reach the reality dimension of the world. That means that they want to build a true knowledge of the world. So unlike in religion, the truth in natural sciences is important but it is sometimes transient and ephemeral.