## Science, Belief, and Ways of Knowing At the end of *Contact*, the scientist Ellie Arroway finds herself in a position she never expected. She has experienced something extraordinary -- a journey to a distant star system, a conversation with an alien intelligence rendered in the form of her dead father. But she has no proof. To the observers on Earth, her pod simply dropped through the machine and into the net below. Nothing happened. Arroway, who built her life on the principle that only evidence-based claims deserve belief, now finds herself believing in something she cannot prove. She is, as *Films from the Future* observes, in the same boat as Palmer Joss, the man of faith she once challenged with Occam's Razor. It is one of the most quietly devastating reversals in science fiction cinema, and it opens up one of the book's richest and most personal themes. ### More Than an Either/Or The relationship between science and belief is often framed as a contest. Science deals in evidence. Belief deals in faith. And the two, it is assumed, are fundamentally incompatible. Maynard argues that this framing is not only wrong, but dangerous -- particularly when we are trying to navigate the complex relationship between technology and society. [Contact](/movies_contact.html) is the primary lens for this argument. Carl Sagan, who wrote the novel and shaped the film, was a scientist who deeply respected the process of science. But his vision of science extended far beyond textbook methodologies. To Sagan, science was a way of seeing and making sense of the universe -- one that did not preclude wonder, imagination, or even something resembling faith. In the film, this plays out through the evolving relationship between Arroway and Joss. At the beginning, Ellie represents rational, evidence-based science. Palmer inhabits a world of faith and conviction. They appear to be opposites. But as the story unfolds, we see that they are more alike than different. Ellie is driven by a belief -- that intelligent life exists beyond Earth -- that she frames in scientific language but that functions, at its core, as an article of faith. Palmer's faith provides him with meaning and wholeness that science alone cannot offer. ### Belief as a Human Condition The book takes this further by examining belief as a biological and psychological reality. As a species, we have evolved an arsenal of mental shortcuts and cognitive biases that help us survive in a complex world. We are extraordinarily good at finding patterns and meaning in our surroundings -- so good that we sometimes see patterns where none exist. This is not a flaw to be corrected. It is a fundamental part of who we are. Even the most avowedly logical person, Maynard argues, eventually reaches a point where they must depart from the world of evidence and take a leap of faith. Scientists have beliefs that define who they are and what they strive for, regardless of evidence-based analysis. Creativity, imagination, and believing in what lies beyond proof are integral to the practice of science itself. Ellie Arroway is a metaphor for this reality: a person defined by her science, but much more than her science alone. ### Why This Matters for Technology This is not an abstract philosophical point. It has direct implications for how we think about emerging technologies and their place in society. If we approach technology governance as a purely rational exercise -- weighing costs and benefits, calculating probabilities, optimizing outcomes -- we miss something essential. We miss the fact that people's responses to technology are shaped by deeply held beliefs, values, and ways of making meaning that do not reduce to data points. When a community resists a new technology, it may not be because they misunderstand the science. It may be because the technology threatens something they believe in -- a way of life, a sense of identity, a relationship with the natural world. Dismissing these responses as irrational is not just unkind; it is a failure of understanding that can lead to precisely the kind of conflicts that [responsible innovation](/ntf_responsible_innovation_practice.html) is supposed to prevent. The book's treatment of [religion, belief, and technology](/rei_religion_belief_technology.html) in the Responsible and Ethical Innovation domain explores this tension in more depth. But the foundation is laid here, in the argument that science and belief are not opposing forces but complementary ways of knowing that, together, give us a richer picture of ourselves and the world we are building. ### The Humanity of Science Maynard describes what he sees in Contact as the "humanity of science beginning to shine." This is where science emerges not as a cold, impartial process, but as a disciplined pathway to awe and wonder. It is where the practice of science leads us to ask not just whether we *can* do something, but whether we *should* -- and to recognize that answering that question requires more than data. This perspective reflects Maynard's transdisciplinary approach, developed over years at the intersection of science, risk, and innovation. Understanding technology's impact requires more than any single discipline can offer. It requires the rigor of science, the insight of the humanities, the wisdom of lived experience, and the honesty to admit that none of us has the complete picture. Contact ends with an affirmation of what becomes possible when science and belief are combined: a powerful way of finding meaning in the universe and charting a course toward a future that celebrates who we are. That combination -- critical thinking and creative imagination, evidence and conviction, humility and hope -- is what *Films from the Future* asks of every reader who wants to think seriously about the road ahead. ## Further Reading - [Living by more than science alone (Contact)](https://www.futureofbeinghuman.com/p/living-by-more-than-science-alone) — Andrew Maynard uses the film Contact to explore the complex relationship between scientific evidence and deeply held beliefs. The piece examines how Carl Sagan's vision of science embraces wonder and meaning-making alongside rigorous methodology. - [AI and the future of being human](https://www.futureofbeinghuman.com/p/ai-and-the-future-of-being-human) — This essay considers how artificial intelligence challenges our understanding of what it means to be human, touching on questions of consciousness, belief, and identity that go well beyond technical capability. It provides a contemporary lens on the same tensions between science and belief that Contact dramatizes. - [Edge.org: What scientific term or concept ought to be more widely known?](https://www.edge.org/responses/what-scientific-term-or-concept-ought-to-be-more-widely-known) — Edge.org's annual question brings together leading scientists, philosophers, and thinkers to explore concepts that bridge empirical knowledge and deeper ways of understanding the world. The responses illuminate the many ways that scientific practice and human meaning-making intersect.