How The Science-Based Thinker Handles The Unknown (in song)

The following YouTube video is an encapsulation of human angst and questioning, and how a science-based thinker handles it:

Let The Mystery Be - Iris DeMent

Lyrics:

Everybody's wonderin' what and where they all came from
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go
When the whole thing's done
But no one knows for certain
And so it's all the same to me
I think I'll just let the mystery be

(more)

Levels Of Certainty And Christianity

Different types of knowledge have differing levels of certainty, and there is a hierarchy of such. From the highest to lowest (link):

• Mathematics and Philosophical Logic
• Experimental Science
• Observational Science
• Historical Knowledge
• Philosophical and Theological Argument (Inference to the Best Explanation)

Christian apologists are functioning at the lowest level of certainty, but, one would never know it when exposed to them. Ironically, they are generally more certain than science-based thinkers, who are uncertain but do know that they have the best tools to understand objective reality. 

Inference to the Best Explanation is a kind of abductive reasoning in which one chooses the best hypothesis or theory that best explains the available data. We use this form of reasoning in our everyday activities and in legal trials. The problem for Christian apologists is that scientific and historical investigation, the higher levels of certainty, lead to rejection of all claims for a God. Another factor to consider is that claims for a God are extraordinary, which require extraordinary evidence (link).

The Certainty Of Faith: Its Worst Feature

Why do I say this?  How can one have an important conversation with someone who, when challenged on matters that challenge their beliefs, states that nothing could change their mind?

The Psychological Need For Certainty

"Agnosticism is something that doesn’t come easy to us. In fact, this is compounded by research that shows that people with more adamant and certain beliefs – think fundamentalist Christians and militant atheists – appear to be happier than those with more wavering beliefs. Certainty does make us happier."

Note that atheists AND the religious with firmly held beliefs are the happiest.  To clarify, I, and most atheists I know, realize that absolute certainty is elusive.  We are just certain that it is most probable that there is no interventionist god.

Science: It's On A Spectrum of Certainty

Scientific disciplines are on a spectrum of certainty, with none being completely certain. This link is a good presentation of what science isn’t:

http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/11...

The most certain scientific disciplines are the so-called “Hard” sciences, such as chemistry, physics and biology. The least certain sciences are the so-called “Soft” sciences, such as the social sciences, which include such disciplines as sociology, psychology, economics and politics. Depending on its use of scientific methods, history can fall on different points somewhere between the “Hard” and “Soft” sciences. Where does nutrition and medical science fall?