Carl SaganLiberation from superstition is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for science.
About This Quote
Liberation from superstition is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for science. An important issue in the development of science concerns the role of superstition. Science has often been criticized for being “unscientific” because it questions or rejects traditional beliefs, but that is not the whole story. Science is not anti-religious; it is only anti-superstition.
It should be noted that there are two types of superstition: inappropriate and irrelevant. The first type involves incorrect explanations of natural phenomena, which are based on outdated or erroneous information or false hypotheses. The other type involves fear of or respect toward supernatural beings, which are based on misconceptions about their abilities or motives.
These two types of superstition are not incompatible with science because appropriate and irrelevant superstition can coexist in science, just as they do in religion.
Source: The Demonhaunted World: Science As A Candle In The Dark
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