It is remarkable, Hardin, how the religion of science has grabbed hold.
Interpretation
Asimov highlights how science has become a guiding belief system for many, similar to religion.
In this quote, Isaac Asimov points out the significant impact that the scientific method and rational thought have had on modern society, suggesting that many people treat science with the same reverence traditionally reserved for religion. This reflects a broader cultural shift where empirical evidence and scientific reasoning have taken precedence in our understanding of the world, influencing how we interpret reality and our place within it.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of education, one might say, 'As Isaac Asimov once remarked, it is remarkable how the religion of science has grabbed hold, underscoring the need for scientific literacy in our modern world.'
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, but it disappears. It doesn't matter if someone dies.
Science does not promise absolute truth, nor does it consider that such a thing necessarily exists. Science does not even promise that everything in the Universe is amenable to the scientific process.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation.
Although the time of death is approaching me, I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism.
A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.
During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this had become entirely impracticable.
When we seed millions of acres of land with these plants, what happens to foraging birds, to insects, to microbes, to the other animals, when they come in contact and digest plants that are producing materials ranging from plastics to vaccines to pharmaceutical products?
In more than one respect, the exploring of the Solar System and homesteading other worlds constitutes the beginning, much more than the end, of history.
Science fiction frees you to go anyplace and examine anything.
Go out and collect data and, instead of having the answer, just look at the data and see if the data tells you anything. When we're allowed to do this with companies, it's almost magical.
What you see is that the most outstanding feature of life's history is a constant domination by bacteria.
We're always, by the way, in fundamental physics, always trying to investigate those things in which we don't understand the conclusions. After we've checked them enough, we're okay.
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