How does science presuppose religion?
– Science presupposes implicitly a hope that truths may be found. – Peirce finds this hope equivalent to the hope that God is real. – He insists on leaving the meaning of “God” conceptually vague. E.g. he doesnt want to agree that God is properly conceptualized as the “Supreme Being.” Any certainty one can have about the reality of God, Peirce thinks, must be a certainty of the heart, not intellectual certainty. – He reminds us that “exists” is not synonymous with “is real.” – The supreme commandment of the “Buddhisto-chrisian” religion is: “to generalize, to complete the whole system even until continuity results and the distinct individuals weld together. Thus . . . the very supreme commandment of sentiment is that man should generalize. . . but, generalization should come about, not merely in mans cognitions, which are but the superficial film of his being, but objectivly, in the deepest emotional springs of his life. – The generalization of sentiment takes place through poetry, but
