a modest proposal

science
is a field of endeavour
an exploration of reality
like
trekking up the zambezi
or
squinting into the sun
or
learning french
or
meditating
or
studying old texts to postulate a history
or
sitting beside this year's girl in bewleys cafe westmoreland street
it is
one exploration among many
as well as being a field of endeavour
it is also
a method of digging in that field
a method
some of whose practitioners
or adherents
or exponents
believe their
locally defined
version of which
to be
the absolute crowning glory of humanity
the summa theologica of understanding
the ruling delineator
philosophically
morally
and rationally
of all other endeavours
it isn't
science is merely the fruit
of the literacy numeracy humanitarianism and culture
which came from the bible
wherever christians made the bible available
education discourse engineering historiography geography debate charity
the transliteration of languages
literature
poetry
music
good deeds
law
hospitals
schools
society itself
and science
followed with it
without the bible
there is no augustine no joan of arc no erasmus no shakespeare no mozart no carravaggio no thomas moore no newton no blake no goethe no george washington no abe lincoln no einstein no william wilberforce no thomas edison no mother teresa no pope john paul the great no james healy
and no science