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The chemistry and physics involved are the medium, not the message.

Indeed. That's why Shannon information theory draws such a clear distinction between the "content" (i.e., meaning) and the "conduit" (i.e., medium) of the message. Since science is not in the meaning business, all it has to go on is the medium. It's awesomely good there. But the fact still remains that scientific knowledge does not encompass the totality of human knowledge, or provide solutions to all human problems; let alone does it reach to wisdom.

So truly, I appreciate your frustration that science cannot, in principle, deliver all the answers of most vital concern to human beings.

Must run for now. Take-out just arrived!

Hope to speak with you again soon, GGG!

But the fact still remains that scientific knowledge does not encompass the totality of human knowledge, or provide solutions to all human problems; let alone does it reach to wisdom.

Precisely so. And truly, Spiritual things cannot be discerned by the scientific method or conveyed by ordinary language.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?

But we have the mind of Christ. - I Corinthians 2:6-16

As Jesus said:

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. – John 6:63

To God be the glory!

Since science is not in the meaning business, all it has to go on is the medium. It's awesomely good there. But the fact still remains that scientific knowledge does not encompass the totality of human knowledge, or provide solutions to all human problems; let alone does it reach to wisdom.

Well said.

A shortcoming that some would do well to recognize.

Science, via technology, has made human life infinity more comfortable and saved many lives, but that's all it can do. The why's and wherefore's will forever be beyond the reach of science, no matter how hard they try.

*Religion* deals with the rest of life and human needs which is why I fail to see the need by scientists to disparage it and try to prove (in cases like Dawkins) that it is nonsense and control it.

Scientists are quick enough to complain when anyone tries to have religion influence science.

==So truly, I appreciate your frustration that science cannot, in principle, deliver all the answers of most vital concern to human beings.

I think Alex Williams gets right to the heart of the matter when he points out where materialist, reductionist science misses the boat:

“Shannon information theory deliberately ignores the meaning of the information and only deals with the statistics of the code. It is thus more than useless in biology (where meaning is central) because it diverts attention away from meaning.”

To my mind, trying to pretend science is not fundamentally about meaning is what gets the Evos in so much trouble when they try to explain what they call “natural” phenomena. God has created a Universe that communicates to us. It doesn’t matter whether you are a plumber or a cosmologist—all our interactions with the Universe depend on meaning (albeit different levels of meaning). For instance, if the light photons being sent from the sun have no meaning, then how is it that we can interpret the same? How is it that we can tell the difference between the light being sent to us by the sun and the light being sent by a planet or a light-bulb? In each case, the light source is sending us a message that must be interpreted. If the message being sent is meaningless, then calling one a planet and the other the sun is nothing more than an illusion created by the biochemistry of our own brains. Thus, science is all about detecting and interpreting meaningful messages that are the product of intelligent design.