Anything that we scientists can do to weaken the hold of religion, should be done and may, in fact, in the end, be our greatest contribution to civilization.
Interpretation
We should use science to challenge religious beliefs, as it may greatly benefit civilization.
Steven Weinberg's quote suggests that scientists have a responsibility to undermine religious doctrines that hinder progress and understanding. He believes that promoting scientific inquiry over faith could ultimately lead to significant advancements in civilization, emphasizing the importance of rational thought and empirical evidence in shaping human society.
In practice
In a debate about the impact of science on society, this quote could support the argument for prioritizing scientific education over religious influence.
It was one time when people thought the value of the fine structure constant was important. Now of course it's still important, of course, as a practical matter,but we now know that the value it has is a function, that in any fundamental theory you derive the fine structure constant as a function of all sorts of mass ratios and so on and it's not really that fundamental.
Americans swept away the instruments of English hereditary inequality - entails and titles of nobility - even before we had a constitution.
It's very difficult to convince other countries that they shouldn't pursue nuclear weapons programs if we ourselves are actively developing a component of a strategic defense system.
[Science] is corrosive of religious belief, and it's a good thing too.
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
I'm offended by the kind of smarmy religiosity that's all around us, perhaps more in America than in Europe, and not really that harmful because it's not really that intense or even that serious, but just... you know after a while you get tired of hearing clergymen giving the invocation at various public celebrations and you feel, haven't we outgrown all this? Do we have to listen to this?
Equality and prosperity shouldn't be seen as enemies of each other, but as partners. One reinforces the other.
There will never be a perfectly good or bad world, because the very idea is a contradiction in terms.
Thats how we survive infinity - we kill it by breaking it up into small bits.
A small grove massacred to the last ash, _x000D_ _x000D_ An oak with heart-rot, give away the show: _x000D_ _x000D_ This great society is going to smash; _x000D_ _x000D_ They cannot fool us with how fast they go, _x000D_ _x000D_ How much they cost each other and the gods. _x000D_ _x000D_ A culture is no better than its woods.
Scratch the surface of most cynics and you find a frustrated idealist β someone who made the mistake of converting his ideals into expectations.
Forgive, son; men are men; they needs must err.
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