The faith of the methodological naturalist
by Andrew Rowell
The basic articles of faith for a methodological naturalist go something like this:
We have found excellent naturalistic explanations for many phenomenon in nature.
Therefore
we believe every phenomenon in nature will have a naturalistic explanation.
Therefore
we make it a strict rule that science is exclusively the study of possible naturalistic explanations for what can be observed in the universe.
Science is not the search for the truth about the origin, operation and destiny of the universe it is limited exclusively to purely naturalistic explanations of the origin, operation and destiny of the universe.
The methodological naturalist will choose a naturalistic explanation over a meta-nature explanation to be taught as the truth in science lessons even if it is not actually true.
Thus for a methodological naturalist it is perfectly reasonable possibility that in science lessons it will become necessary to teach children what is in fact not true and what is in fact known to be untrue for the sake of meeting the methodological naturalism criteria laid out by the grand assembly of the interplanetary science council.
The real truth can only be taught in a new subject called meta-science lessons and it is a perfectly reasonable possibility in the future for the syllabus in these lessons to contradict the science syllabus and for the meta-science lessons to be teaching the truth and the science lessons to be teaching what is known to be wrong.
http://idintheuk.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html
:::SNIZZZ!!!:::
ReplyDelete"we make it a strict rule that science is exclusively the study of possible naturalistic explanations for what can be observed in the universe."
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see an example of science studying supernatural explanations for what can be observed in the universe. First, pick something that we can all observe in the universe. For instance, the rising and lowering of the ocean tides. Now, pick a supernatural explanation for this. E.g., God heaving and blowing the oceans back and forth so that the tides rise and fall. Now show how science can study this.
In the meanwhile, employ faith to ignore the movement of the moon about the earth so that you can dismiss those awful naturalistic explanations that the unenlightened scientists have given us in the past.
See? Anyone can believe!