A permanent base on Mars would have a number of advantages beyond being a bonanza for planetary science and geology. If, as some evidence suggests, exotic micro-organisms have arisen independently of terrestrial life, studying them could revolutionise biology, medicine and biotechnology. – Paul Davies
In science, a healthy skepticism is a professional necessity, whereas in religion, having belief without evidence is regarded as a virtue. – Paul Davies
Traditionally, scientists have treated the laws of physics as simply given, elegant mathematical relationships that were somehow imprinted on the universe at its birth, and fixed thereafter. Inquiry into the origin and nature of the laws was not regarded as a proper part of science. – Paul Davies
Science, we are repeatedly told, is the most reliable form of knowledge about the world because it is based on testable hypotheses. Religion, by contrast, is based on faith. The term doubting Thomas well illustrates the difference. – Paul Davies