To sum it up, science is data driven. Without consistent data, there can be no conclusion. Without conclusions there are no eternal laws, no way to predict future outcomes, no way to invent. Individual scientists may mostly concern themselves with collection of data and leave the development of theory to others. Darwin, as we saw, did both, collecting mountains of data during the voyage of the Beagle and then spending years developing a theory that would explain both his data and that of others. His theory has subsequently been strengthened by further observation and experiment. Einstein, on the other hand, never made an observation or did an experiment, but depended on the work of others. He suggested experiments, which when done, confirmed his predictions and verified his theories.

Science has by its methods had some incredible triumphs in the last couple of centuries. We have already spent time describing two of the bigger: The development of the Big Bang story of the beginnings of our universe, and the evolutionary story of the development of life. It may seem that scientists will eventually explain everything, but already they are finding some so far impenetrable walls. It is time to talk about some of those walls. For starters, let's talk about miracles.

There are miracles and then there are miracles. We sometimes call remarkable modern inventions like television or lasers or advanced healing techniques miraculous. Indeed, someone suddenly transported from the eighteenth century could only conceive of them as miracles. Nowadays we really don't think of them that way, because such things are man made, and we understand their underlying mechanisms-or, at least, someone, somewhere, does.

A real miracle, on the other hand, would be a one-time event during which one of the laws that govern the universe is suspended or broken. Science (with the capital S) can't deal with such a miracle. Proper scientific observations depend on reproducibility, a reliability that, given the same conditions, the same result will happen every time. Hence, the scientific method can't evaluate a non-reproducible event.

Here is a fable: A world-famous evangelist nears the end of his career. His preaching has made innumerable people see the light. Again and again, when he has spoken at revivals, thousands have been converted at one time. An old man, one evening he contemplates all he has accomplished, but nevertheless he despairs. There are billions of people he never had a chance to preach to. Crime and wars and evil are still rampant on the earth. What has he really accomplished? On this note he falls into a troubled sleep.

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