200 Words on Faith in Science

For centuries, people have taken a few select sources, interpreting them and extrapolating beliefs from them to create a specific worldview and model of how the universe works. Contrast this with the countless volumes of scientific literature on every topic ranging from virology to astronomy, geology to quantum mechanics, which also describe the universe and provide models of their own. It is impossible for anyone to be an expert on all scientific branches that play into our understanding to the cosmos, so every scientist must defer to, and have confidence in, their colleagues in other fields and their findings. Scientists lack the luxury of having a single source, to look for answers to questions big and small. Since the body of knowledge is constantly growing and evolving with new discoveries and insights, often correcting or refining previous findings and conclusions, scientists must place their trust in the process of science. While some equate this trust and confidence to religious faith, it is wholly different. It is faith of sorts, but only in the sense that faith is a broad, ambiguous term. It is a rational hope tempered by skepticism and insistence on verification and accountability; scientific "faith" is never blind.