Methodological Naturalism—a Necessary Condition of Science?

  • Dariusz Sagan University of Zielona Góra, Faculty of Humanities
Keywords: methodological naturalism; intelligent design theory; naturalism—supernaturalism opposition; naturalism—artificialism opposition; scientific detection of design; scientific realism; methodological neutralism

Abstract

Due to the success of Darwinian theory of evolution, with its methodological presuppositions, modern science is dominated by the principle of methodological naturalism, according to which only explanations invoking natural causes are acceptable in science. Supernatural or—in a broader sense—non-natural explanations, such as creationism or so-called intelligent design theory, are regarded as unscientific. The article analyzes the following questions: 1) Is it possible—contrary to methodological naturalism—to detect scientifically the marks of the activity of intelligent beings, both natural and supernatural, in bio-logical and cosmic processes and structures? 2) What are the implications of methodological naturalism for science defined realistically, that is understood as a search for truth about the world of nature? 3) If one accepts that the inner-scientific per-missibility of concepts contradicting the principle of methodological naturalism is justified, would it be tantamount to the absolute exclusion of methodological naturalism as a principle directing the scientific inquiry?

References

Dembski W.A.: Intelligent Design: The Bridge Between Science & Theology, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press 1999.

Eldredge N.: The Triumph of Evolution and the Failure of Creationism, New York: W.H. Freeman and Co. 2000.

Jodkowski K.: Antynaturalizm teorii inteligentnego projektu, „Roczniki Filozoficzne” 54 (2006), nr 2, s. 63-76.

Jodkowski K.: Kreacjonizm a naturalizm nauk przyrodniczych, „Ruch Filozoficzny” 52 (1996), nr 2-3, s. 209-222.

Jodkowski K.: Rozpoznawanie genezy: istota sporu ewolucjonizm-kreacjonizm, „Roczniki Filozoficzne” 50 (2002), z. 3, s. 187-198.

Johnson Ph.E.: Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law & Education, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press 1995.

Meyer S.C.: Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, New York: HarperOne 2009.

Monton B.: Seeking God in Science: An Atheist Defends Intelligent Design, Canada: Broadview Press 2009.

Pennock R.T. (ed.): Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics: Philosophical, Theological, and Scientific Perspectives, Cambridge: MIT Press 2001.

Ratzsch D.: Nature, Design, and Science: The Status of Design in Natural Science, New York: State University of New York Press 2001.

Scott E.C.: “Science and Religion”, “Christian Scholarship”, and “Theistic Science”: Some Comparisons, „Reports of the National Center for Science Education” 18 (1998), no. 2, s. 30-32.

Young M., Edis T. (eds.): Why Intelligent Design Fails: A Scientific Critique of the New Creationism, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press 2004.

Published
2020-06-10
Section
Articles