Perhaps science relies upon "faith" to a degree.
Science must have some faith in the prospect of the Higgs field etc and if not it would seem we have spent a lot of time and energy for no reason whatsoever. I doubt if the project would proceed if the hope of finding the HB had only a 1% chance ..elimination is useful but the hope presumably was that they would find it..not that they can eliminate it from the model.
Someone must have faith that the idea has merit such that resources are mobilised to confirm the theory...this sugest faith is an opperative in the process.... At the least those involved must have faith that negitive or postive as to the hunt some good or forward progress will be part of the outcome...is this not faith?
My point is faith must play a part in selecting how to spend research dollars. The science may be supportive but at some point the decision process possibly calls upon faith in the work to date.
The SETI project calls upon faith one could think... If no faith in the prospect of a result why would folk involve themselves in the project.
I suppose the dollars one is paid releases one from having faith but the folk providing the dollars must they not have faith..
Faith need not be a word only used to descibe hope in spiritual beings and its use can happily extend to a hope of the existence of many things that support or move back a scientific theory.
alex
