sure those fears drove human history and invented religions. that was before scientific knowlegde showed us it was not true. should we suppress knowledge that makes people feel uncomfortable? should we really tell educated people that there is a place in the sky where the streets are paved in gold and that is where you will go if only you follow my religion? Intellectual honesty is a skill that has to be learned and a virtue that has to be practiced; it often requires you to accept unpleasant conclusions. (John B. Hodges)
Showed us what's not true, fear? Despair? Sorrow? Meaninglessness? As long as we desire life, and are conscious, we will have those things. Science will do what, repress them through quantification?
*shrug* Your comfort is evidence. Yours is not more correct, because it does not work (it's insufficient) for me. You must understand this, you've changed your own in your lifetime. What are your thoughts on Zen Buddhism? You must feel a kinship with "pure" perception, untainted by thought or judgement, nothing between "you" and the Present Moment... ?
evidence is only a tool to be used in determining truth. it is like a flashlight. you shine it on a question so you can see what is in front of you. intellectual honesty is probably most important to me. i want to know the truth so i can make an informed decision. yes i changed in my lifetime but is because of aquired knowledge. i dont cling to comfortable myths because the evidence showed me they are nothing more than myths. i dont know anything about Zen Buddhism.
Therefore you understand it perfectly! Ok ok, nerd Zen joke there. What's truth? That which is revealed by evidence. What's evidence? That which is true! Weeee!!! Anyway, emotions are real. So you gave up a comfortable myth. Are you more comfortable now? Or are you free of even that emotion?
i sense you feel humans cannot function without a crutch? that crutch could be religion or drugs or whatever as long as it keeps you from having to face uncomfortable reality?
Oh they can function. Cut away Man's symbolic side and you would still have his creature side. Being nothing more than an animal is always a choice (though I think you have to destroy part of the brain to actually achieve that).