Reason and faith combined is the way to the truth. To think scientifically, that is emperically, does not forbid the use of faith. In Galileo’s letter to the Grand Duchess Christina he was attempting to point out that reason and faith could co-exist and were not necessarily opposites. Galileo had just put the finishing touches on the earth orbits the sun debate. Which was much more anti-Aristotle than anti-church. The church had members who were impressed with his mathematical findings yet did not want to consider his proof any more than a convenient fiction that was handy for explaining some of the details of the orbits of the planets. Galileo did not back down and that is when he wrote the Grand Duchess showing that faith and reason are complementary.
After Galileo empirical studies in science took a huge leap forward. Newton followed with his calculus and opened up the universe to exploration, mathematically that is. Today the use of quantum mechanics is trumpeting the triumph of the probable. The problem; is the “truth” question one that can be measured and statistically defined. Or; is the truth more of an mystical phenomena, such as that it can be only comprehended though faith and inner-meditation. The truth; is that nobody really knows for sure what the final definition of the “truth” will be. So as for now we have a kind of a hybrid combination between quantum mechanics and faith.
These two combined are very powerful in searching for and answering some of the questions that are staring us in the face. Such as; how was the universe created? It is in these attempts to get to the truth that both faith and reason need to be employed to get to a place were “knowing” is possible. Faith has led us to believe that we could find answers and “know” things. We have for thousands of years used faith has a corner stone to get through the day and trust our beliefs. It has only been recently that the use of reason thus scientific inquiry has been used. It has just been the last thousand years or so were we had any real success with scientific inquiry. Now, after the burst of Galileo we have combined the use of scientific questioning with faith, that is to say that math can lead to answer even when it seem so uncertain that an answer can be found. Having faith in science is just now starting to blossom. It will always be so that faith and science will work to together for seeking truth. Faith; that there is a truth, and science to reveal it.
