[Boromir88]

I must say you approach this topic wonderfully Kransha.

Nice points about Idealism, Surrealism, and mythology. For indeed they are all sciences.

There are rules in Middle-Earth, but they are often not so clear and absolute, and potent, as to be stifling. The Eldar have Laws and Customs, Councils are formed, oaths are taken, things are done that cannot be undone, and thus are set in stone,

Don't forget the government system of the Hobbits. Or the government system of Middle-Earth in general. There is an indeed set of rules for certain races of Middle-Earth. For example, the Lothlorien Elves, have their laws (and Haldir calls them "laws") about seeing the Lady of the Wood, with dwarves...etc.

I think a clear cut example of Middle-Earth science would be the sets of records in Minas Tirith. The records Gandalf gets to discover about the Ring of Power, much of these are lore and tales of old. Some are accurate, some are inaccurate, yet scientific documentation, none the less.

You obviously have a broader view of science then me. Science I've viewed as, a way to explain how we came up with what we got today. For example why dinosaurs are extinct, how humans appeared, these are more "scientific theories," then proven "scientifical facts." Then religion, would be a way to explain the unexplainable, maybe explain why we have emotions? Why we die? Anyway, to my point, Kransha, you have just broadened my view of religion. For I think science and religion are meshed together. Religion has it's own "scientific theories" of how we got, what we got today. A clear example, as you've mentioned, is mythology. For mythology, indeed is a science (you have the -ology), but it is also religion. It's what the greeks, egyptians, romans...etc, believed in their time. It's all they knew at the time, so they created this "theory" based on what they knew to try to prove how that became so. But their "Science of mythology" was intermingled with religion, since it deals with the worshipping of gods, and deals with a certain faith of what you have.

Eventhough, Science and Religion can be interchanged, there is also a line between them, and there are times when you can't interchange them. There is a clear difference between "Scientific theories," and "Scientific facts." The facts are the facts, and will stay as facts. The fact that their are humans today, and dinosaurs not, that's scientific fact. The fact that we have landed on the moon, is a "Scientific fact," (thought I can't say all people believe that :ahem: Carl Everett)! A "Scientific Theory," is a scientific hypothesis based on a set of studied data. Ok we have this today, now how did it happen? Is not Religion a "scientific theory" for it does the same thing, tries to explain "how this came to be."

To connect this with Middle-earth (so it doesn't seem like mindless rambling), I will take us back to the lore of Gondor. There are obvious documentations in Minas Tirith, some are "scientific fact" others are "stories, tales." The fact that Isildur died at Gladden fields, is fact. (In Middle-earth speaking).

Appendix F
But they (dwarves) are not evil by nature, and few ever served the Enemy of free will, whatever the tales of men say.

Those are unproven tales and theories made by men. Men lusted for the dwarvish gold, so they told false tales saying dwarves are evil. Just because something is false, doesn't mean it's not science.