Methodological Naturalism—a Necessary Condition of Science?
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?
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