Dad always said that he had enough trouble sorting the fiction out of so-called facts, without reading fiction. He always said that science was already too muddled without trying to make it jibe with religion. He said those things, but he also said that science itself could be a religion, that a broad mind was always in danger of becoming narrow.
In Jim Thompson's "The Killer Inside Me," the protagonist reflects on his father's views regarding the distinction between fiction and reality. He notes that his dad found it challenging to understand what was true and what was merely fiction, suggesting a skepticism towards many narratives or beliefs. This skepticism extends to religion, with his father stating that integrating it with science complicates already complex truths.
However, the father paradoxically remarks that science can take on a religious significance. This implies that pursuing scientific understanding may come with dogmatic adherence, which could make one’s perspective rigid. The underlying message is about the tension between embracing a broad mind and the risk of it narrowing through strong beliefs or ideologies.
