Literary Discussions

One "bonafide scientist" observed that he ha never beheld any science co-worker say or do something "religious" and therefore concludes that those co-worker fellow scientists must not be religious. I pointed out that he has probably never seen any co-worker say or do something sexual and therefore any logical scientific mind would conclude that those scientists must be asexual. 

The entire thread started two weeks ago when Lair stated that ANY scientist who is not a confirmed atheist must therefore "have an invisible friend (Jesus?)" and THEREFORE they must be loony and irrational and illogical and we all know that scientists cannot do science unless they are totally free of irrationality and pure as the driven snow. I personally consider medical doctors to be scientists (perhaps the lowest rung of the science ladder but still scientists.) Many of us only encounter "scientists" when we see our doctors and pharmacists. Doctors and pharmacists are the scientists who have the potential to improve our lives or mess us up with an illogical mistake. Many of those "scientists" practice some form of religion. Lair's assertion about the lunacy "of the invisible friend" should mean that these "scientists" are slightly mad and therefore are disqualified from practicing medicine or pharmacy.  I say that discriminating against practicing members of any religion and saying that they are incompetent to work in scientific fields is an illegal form of discrimination. I see a number of medical doctors run out to the street to smoke a cigarette. Smoking is 'illogical' because our intellect informs us that our metabolism does not require tobacco and the tobacco causes cancer and other illnesses plus cigarettes cost something like $10 a pack. I am sure there are also scientists who have problems with alcohol and prescription drugs and perhaps recreational drugs, all of which is "illogical."  The purest embodiment of logic that I can think of is Ayn Rand who was rabid in her contempt of religion but who, a married woman, had a wild sexual affair with her young married follower, all of which seems illogical. But we like to do illogical things when we are not doing our "science" with our pure, rational logic.