Читать книгу Global Warming and Other Bollocks - Stanley Feldman - Страница 8

Many people believe in a deity of some form. However, God is not subject to evidence or proof. That so many believe in his/her/its existence does not make God a fact. The absence of evidence of there being a god, or the impossibility of ever obtaining proof of his/her/its existence, distinguishes theism as a belief from observable, confirmable fact. Belief in God is neither a theory nor a fact: it is an unsubstantiated hypothesis based on faith. It may bring immense comfort to those with it but it does not necessarily make it true.

The purpose of this book is to make the reader think again about what he/she is told is a fact. Too much of the information we are given turns out to be beliefs or hypotheses dressed up as fact. When ‘everybody knows’ something it’s time to challenge it; the ‘scientists believe’ phenomenon, especially when supported by statements such as ‘new research has shown’, should always arouse suspicion. The use of emotive, often pejorative, terms such as ‘will cause the end of the world’, ‘will kill hundreds of thousands’ and ‘time is running out’ should alert readers to the probability that they are being mentally bullied and manipulated. It should warn them of the need to examine the evidence carefully to see whether the case is indeed proven ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.