The answer to this question must begin by recalling a very familiar myth: the Genesis tale about the first of all sins.
In spite of God's warning that the fruit from the wisdom tree was not for human consumption, Eve didn't refrain herself from eating it, and has driven Adam to do the same. As a consequence, they were expelled from Paradise, and their descendants ought to pay for their fault as long as mankind exists on Earth.
Many religion scholars think this myth should not be read as an allegory, but rather must be understand literally. I totally disagree with their standpoint!
The scientific achievements of Kepler, Galileo and Newton (among many others) have discarded the core of Aristotle physics. A mechanistic worldview came upon from this revolution in science, leading also to questionings regarding whether the human species should still be regarded as the most important of all creatures. After all, the Earth was no longer at the center of the Universe, on the contrary just a tiny planet among many others, and so on. Laplace even take courage to utter that all eternity might be traced back and forth if we knew all of the Universe's present states and laws, at any given moment. To a good understanding he was talking about the possibility of a future man so wise and mighty as the creator God. That French mathematician was rather pretentious, don't you think so?
Many 19th century philosophers and scientists followed Laplace's steps and the positivist school flourished. The omnipotent human reason would not find limits to achieve someday absolute knowledge.
But some decades thereafter, Einstein's theories of relativity gave a punch in the face of such arrogant pseudo-scientists and pseudo-philosophers!
Thus, one after another the best scientific theories, our best understandings of the phenomenal world have been declared outdated by new ones. Well, someone may ask whether Einstein's discoveries are immune to some future falsification. By no means, we shall answer, give up this hope, guy! It is nothing but a naive hope.
Perhaps many among you readers are pondering right now:
"But Einstein was an extraordinary genius, a brain as we have never heard of".
Taking the history of the empirical sciences in account, it is easy to understand that no theories can be regarded as definitive. They are all provisional, the best ones must be always awaiting for a falsifying event. When an alleged 'scientist' tries to armor his theories against the possibility of being refuted by new data he has given up science, and became a charlatan, a 'snake oil seller'. [Be aware there are many pseudo-scientists!]
Being forever provisional, another metaphysical evidence that sprung in the core of the empirical sciences themselves, the scientific knowledge proclaim to us the Biblical meaning of The Forbidden Fruit:
Absolute knowledge will never be a human affair, only relative and provisional truths may be accessible to our minds.
A provisional scientific theory is our best "edible (knowable), fruit". Notwithstanding being aware of this, we will never stop hearing the blab blab blab of the 'snake's' which tries to make us look at the scientific theories of our time as 'definitive truths' (the forbidden fruits) for us to becoming omnipotent as the Creator.
How naive must be someone who takes seriously the "snake's" words!
In spite of God's warning that the fruit from the wisdom tree was not for human consumption, Eve didn't refrain herself from eating it, and has driven Adam to do the same. As a consequence, they were expelled from Paradise, and their descendants ought to pay for their fault as long as mankind exists on Earth.
Many religion scholars think this myth should not be read as an allegory, but rather must be understand literally. I totally disagree with their standpoint!
The scientific achievements of Kepler, Galileo and Newton (among many others) have discarded the core of Aristotle physics. A mechanistic worldview came upon from this revolution in science, leading also to questionings regarding whether the human species should still be regarded as the most important of all creatures. After all, the Earth was no longer at the center of the Universe, on the contrary just a tiny planet among many others, and so on. Laplace even take courage to utter that all eternity might be traced back and forth if we knew all of the Universe's present states and laws, at any given moment. To a good understanding he was talking about the possibility of a future man so wise and mighty as the creator God. That French mathematician was rather pretentious, don't you think so?
Many 19th century philosophers and scientists followed Laplace's steps and the positivist school flourished. The omnipotent human reason would not find limits to achieve someday absolute knowledge.
But some decades thereafter, Einstein's theories of relativity gave a punch in the face of such arrogant pseudo-scientists and pseudo-philosophers!
Thus, one after another the best scientific theories, our best understandings of the phenomenal world have been declared outdated by new ones. Well, someone may ask whether Einstein's discoveries are immune to some future falsification. By no means, we shall answer, give up this hope, guy! It is nothing but a naive hope.
Perhaps many among you readers are pondering right now:
"But Einstein was an extraordinary genius, a brain as we have never heard of".
Taking the history of the empirical sciences in account, it is easy to understand that no theories can be regarded as definitive. They are all provisional, the best ones must be always awaiting for a falsifying event. When an alleged 'scientist' tries to armor his theories against the possibility of being refuted by new data he has given up science, and became a charlatan, a 'snake oil seller'. [Be aware there are many pseudo-scientists!]
Being forever provisional, another metaphysical evidence that sprung in the core of the empirical sciences themselves, the scientific knowledge proclaim to us the Biblical meaning of The Forbidden Fruit:
Absolute knowledge will never be a human affair, only relative and provisional truths may be accessible to our minds.
A provisional scientific theory is our best "edible (knowable), fruit". Notwithstanding being aware of this, we will never stop hearing the blab blab blab of the 'snake's' which tries to make us look at the scientific theories of our time as 'definitive truths' (the forbidden fruits) for us to becoming omnipotent as the Creator.
How naive must be someone who takes seriously the "snake's" words!
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