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Is Intelligent Design a Valid Scientific Theory?In support of Phil Drake's current discussion regarding Intelligent Design (ID) I thought I would post an outline that I have on the subject. I. What is science? In order to set up a discussion on whether or not Intelligent Design (ID) is a valid scientific theory, we first need to discuss what science is and how it works. a. Science is based primarily on our experiences and our attempts to explain these experiences. b. The noted philosopher of science, Karl Popper, has this to say: ‘Science is merely an attempt to classify and describe this perceptual knowledge, these immediate experiences whose truth we cannot doubt; is the systematic presentation of our immediate convictions.’ c. These experiences are then evaluated according to larger way of looking at the data and formulating statements of truth. i. Popper makes a very interesting statement, ‘Scientific discovery is akin to explanatory story telling, to myth making and to poetic imagination.’ 1. The process by which scientific data is put together and organized into a cogent theory according to underlying assumptions is inherently similar to how early human mythmakers sat around the campfire and contemplated their surroundings. 2. Scientists, like most people, are biased. ii. A given scientific community may value certain aspects of the theory above others in evaluating if this theory is rational, and accept or reject a theory accordingly. 1. Example, JP Moreland gives the following as possible virtues by which theories may be judged: II. Reasons for alternative theories to evolution. Prominent Darwinists of today seem to abhor any challenge to evolution and have started to refer to evolution as the ‘fact’ of evolution rather than the ‘theory’ of evolution. This leads to the question; if we overlook what we perceive to be problems with the empirical basis for the theory, is there still a rational basis to question it? a. There is intrinsic value in questioning dominant scientific theories. i. Karl Popper (himself an evolutionist), has the following to say: 1. ‘Yet it may be worth while to speculate about possible limits to Darwinism, for we should always be on the look-out for possible alternatives to any dominant theory’. ii. By questioning such theories, we force proponents of those theories into a greater degree of explanation. 1. This can drive research programs into new areas as part of an effort to satisfy opponents of a theory. 2. Honest inquiry can solve problems and raise new problems for a theory or group of theories. 3. This process can facilitate an honest investigation into truth. b. Just because Methodological Naturalism (MN) (which is the research paradigm responsible for proposing evolution) is the dominant research paradigm, it does not mean that all theories must be judged according to criteria set by proponents of MN. i. Most proponents of MN justify MN by defining science in such a way that MN is part of the definition. This is question begging. ii. Rival theories can solve the same problem in different ways. 1. Example: Copernicus solved planetary motion through a sun-centered system, whereas Ptolemy solved the same problem by using an earth-centered system and complicated ‘epicycles’. III. Intelligent Design a. If we define science as ‘. . .the systematic presentation of our immediate convictions’ and we allow our convictions to include other areas of study, such as philosophy and theology, then we find that including our theological concepts in our research models makes sense. This is what ID is; a research model that is willing to look at multiple disciplines in order to come up with answers. By Bruce Paolozzi at Jan 18 2007 - 7:23pm | Bruce Paolozzi's blog | login or register to post comments
cnc lathe gas bbq powdercnc lathe cheap mbt shoesThe discovery is a rarity for emeralds found not in MBT Shoes On Sale the rich veins of South America and Asia but in North America, said Robert Simon, owner of Windsor Jewelers in MBT Fanaka Winston-Salem."Most of the stones that have come out have not been gem-quality that MBT Chapa I would mount in jewelry," said Simon, who was MBT M.Walk part owner of a 7.85-carat, dime-sized emerald found in MBT Women's Chapa the same community in 1998 that has since been set in jewelry and Discount MBT Shoes sold to a private owner. ID and the "Definition of Science"What is quoted from Popper doesn't throw much light on "what science is," nor on whether ID is "science." The question of "evolution" doesn't belong in this outline. Including theological concepts in our research model will be fruitful to the extent that nature reflects the attributes of its Creator; however, it smacks more of Popper's analogy to mythmaking and the criticism of bias if the theology isn't independently grounded. But, ID doesn't assume theology; so why is it mentioned in this outline? Also, we must beware of the personification of "science," as though man were to serve it for its own sake. Rather, if science is "the handmaiden of theology," it must serve man by glorifying God. ID makes no such claim. ID is a program to make reason "the handmaiden of science." (It is not the only such program, another being Common Sense Science.) Rodney Stark, in his recent book, "The Victory of Reason," offers a useful definition of "science:" "A method utilized in organized efforts to formulate explanations of nature, always subject to modifications and corrections through systematic observations." At least, it's a useful starting point. Different fields of science deal with different subject matters, and therefore require different methods to to deal with things too large, too small, or too far removed in time or space to observe directly. It's difficult to say what science "is" in a sentence or two. The important thing is that the method(s) used be appropriate to the subject matter, and that the theorist realize the limitations of what the method can verify. Stark might better have said, "An appropriate complex of methodologies..." On his way to making his case that science, per se, did not come into being without a Christian Worldview to guide it, Prof. Stark is careful to draw the distinction between sheer empiricism, on the one hand, and man's attempt to invent his own world through pure rationality. Without putting the two together into an organized interplay of theorizing and systematic research, one does not have science. This program began for the first time in the communities formed by the Medieval universities of the Scholastics, a 12th century, uniquely Christian invention. Stark finds amazing support for his thesis in the 1925 Lowell Lectures at Harvard, by none other than Alfred North Whitehead. "Science arose in Europe because of the widespread 'faith in the possibility of science...derivative from medieval theology.'" Yes, after the shock wore off, there was much consternation. As an aside, the example of Copernicus to show that "rival theories can solve the same problem in different ways" is a poor one. He was not doing science in the sense of formulating a theory that better explained observations - he didn't do observations. The Ptolemaic system of epicycles was much more accurate in that respect, than simple circular motion of the planets. Both systems were based on Platonic idealism, with the circle being the ideal figure. In that sense, Copernicus made no advancement on the ancient Hellenes. And, Ptolemy's system lacked the elegance of simplicity. This is rather an example that rival theories can all be wrong, esp. when theory is not sufficiently supported by observation. (Some Greeks making calculations about the size of earth, moon, and sun and the distances involved, had concluded it made more sense for the earth to be going around the sun.) ID, then, is not "a research model that is willing to look at multiple disciplines in order to come up with answers." ID is a method of scientific inquiry, an extension of the genre of information science, that can be usefully applied in various scientific disiplines to separate Popper's storytelling from statements of truth, as far as truth can be known from observation in our universe. ©2007 George P. Drake cnc lathe gas bbq powdercnc lathe |
What is the Mars Hill Club?The Mars Hill Club is a group of Christians who meet to discuss various issues that pertain to the Christian faith. While the meetings are run and moderated by Christians, everyone of any faith or persuasion is invited to come and join in the discussions. No questions are refused or ignored. Answers In ActionRecent blog posts
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