Science Versus Intelligent Design

Philosophy of Science and Methodological Naturalism Examined

I belong to a discussion group called SDANet. In prior posts to SDANet, I made the statement that "one must do mathematics and philosophy before one can do science."

My purpose in those two posts was to drive home the point that scientists have certain philosophic assumptions before they even engage in scientific inquiry. In fact, the process of science itself is founded on certain assumptions about the world around us.

I want the reader to realize the scientific community disregards Intelligent Design as "religion and not science" because it violates their a priori philosophic presuppositions about what they believe science is. These scientists confuse their philosophy of materialism, methodological naturalism, scientism, what-have-you with science itself.

The purpose of the current article is twofold.

First, I want to point out how certain philosophic assumptions are embedded as the foundation of the Scientific Method. From this illustration, I hope the reader realizes the truth of "one must do mathematics and philosophy before one can do science."

I am not attempting to analyze or critique every philosophy of science (e.g., materialism, methodological naturalism, etc), but just to illustrate that philosophic presuppositions come before the scientific process itself.

The second part of this article is to illustrate errors with one common approach to scientific inquiry, namely Methodological Naturalism. Methodological Naturalism can be summed up as the assertion that only naturalistic causes are to be appealed to in scientific investigations.

Methodological Naturalism is the philosophic assumption (i.e., it cannot be demonstrated to true by scientific investigation itself) that is very commonly used as an argument against Intelligent Design advocates.

In other words, the scientific community argues that "since (we assert) science can only appeal to naturalistic causes, and Intelligent Design by its very nature does not restrict itself to naturalistic causes, then Intelligent Design advocates are not doing true science; rather they are doing religion in disguise."

Please note, again, this is what the scientific community presupposes ahead of time what "science really is." It is a position that is argued for and is not demonstrated through scientific investigation. Indeed, the scientific community cannot, and does not, justify Methodological Naturalism experimentally or through scientific investigation, but by appeals to what they consider sound reasoning.

Part 1: Presuppositions Embedded within the Scientific Method

Here I attempt to illustrate how using the Scientific Method is based upon certain inherent assumed views about the world around us. I am not attempting to prove these true or false, but to make it clear that scientific inquiry is based upon certain presuppositions.

Someone might disagree with my examples of the inherent assumptions in the Scientific Method and offer alternative ones. But this still illustrates that one has some philosophic presuppositions about the world before they even engage in scientific endeavors.

There are a number of ways the Scientific Method can be outlined, but one reasonable representation of it is as follows:

Observation --> Hypothesis --> Test Hypothesis --> Conclusions

All of these steps of the Scientific Method are based on the following philosophic assumptions.

A. The External World Objectively Exists -

"The external world exists, whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not." If the world was merely illusionary and a figment of my imagination, it would be erroneous to investigate why certain phenomena occurred as it is merely my imagination.

Please note that one might not know the external world was imaginary and one might try to investigate this (illusory) external world anyway. But it would still be faulty to do so because if the external world is a truly product of your imagination, there is no real need to investigate why things happened. They did not truly happen, you merely imagined it.

However, the assumption that the external world truly exists is why scientists make hypotheses to explain certain phenomenon, and why they need to test their hypotheses, i.e., we test our hypotheses because our explanation may not actually be correct, despite what we think.

In short, Reality is what you bump into when your beliefs are wrong.

B. The External World Is Governed by Consistent Laws -

there would be no point in investigating the behavior of the world if the rules governing the universe were randomly changed without warning. Any discovery made today would be invalid shortly thereafter.

C. The Correspondence Theory of Truth -

a true statement or true hypothesis is one that accurately describes the way the external world really is. Scientists are supposed to be in the business of determining what really is going on. Ultimately, I would argue that most scientists are not looking for an erroneous model that works, but what really is going on.

Again, Part 1 is not intended to prove the exact specifics of the philosophic assumptions embedded in the Scientific Method. It was intended to illustrate that all scientists, whether they know it or not, whether they like it or not, operate on certain a priori presuppositions about the world around us. They also operate on certain a priori philosophic presuppositions of what "science really is."

Part 2. Problems with Methodological Naturalism.

One of the common assumptions about what "science really is" is called Methodological Naturalism. Methodological Naturalism asserts that only appeals to naturalistic causes are legitimate in scientific inquiry. Often they also claim to restrict this to repeatable naturalistic causes.

The first flaw with this approach to define what "science really is" is that it first assumed and argued for and not empirically demonstrated. One cannot demonstrate through scientific investigation and appealing to only naturalistic causes, that the only proper approach to science is Methodological Naturalism.

I know of no experimental study that demonstrates the truth of the Methodological Naturalism assumption. I know of no scientists who propose Methodological Naturalism on anything other than (what they consider to be) sound logical grounds.

Regardless of whether or not their arguments for Methodological Naturalism are sound, it still demonstrates that it is philosophically argued for.

The second flaw with Methodological Naturalism is that before scientific inquiry even begins, it limits itself to only certain conclusions allowed as the product of this scientific investigation. Rather than employ the Scientific Method and then use inference to the best explanation, Methodological Naturalism rules in advance that certain conclusions are not permitted, despite the weight of the evidence and the reasonableness of the conclusions.

This is roughly equivalent to homicide investigators being told that, before the investigation even begins, they are not allowed interpret the evidence such that they conclude a woman committed the crime.

To illustrate further, suppose you placed a closed box in front of a biologist and asked her explain what is going on inside the box.

When the box is opened, the biologist clearly sees an Oreo cookie inside a glass of milk.

What would be the most reasonable way for the biologist to explain how the Oreo got in the glass? Would she restrict herself to Methodological Naturalism and only appeal to naturalistic causes? Or would she infer an intelligent cause for this phenomenon and conclude someone was putting her on?

Or, more to the point, here is a more realistic illustration. What would happen if a NASA satellite truly did intercept an electromagnetic signal from a star-system that is 500 light years away. This signal consisted of 1,000 prime numbers in the sequence, i.e., 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, ... etc.

Would it be appropriate to insist Methodological Naturalism is the only way NASA is permitted analyze the data? Must NASA therefore assume purely naturalistic causes for this sequence of numbers no matter the weight of the evidence to the contrary? Or would it be more appropriate to make an inference to the best explanation and suspect an intelligent cause for this sequence of numbers?

In both cases listed above, I suspect that scientists would assume intelligent causes rather than purely naturalistic causes. This is where Methodological Naturalism falters and Intelligent Design comes in. Any school-child would figure out someone put the Oreo cookie into the glass of milk. Also, once human sources were truly ruled out, any astronomer or cryptographer (or school-child) would be reasonable to raise the possibility of the signal being originated by an intelligent source outside our solar system.

However, it is very reasonable to ask, What is an appropriate algorithm for determining Intelligent Design? How can one reasonably infer Intelligent Design in an observed phenomenon? The method is based upon spotting a phenomenon that is

(1) a low probability event and is,

(2) specified in advance.

(1) Low Probability Event:

Any event, no matter how low the probability (assuming not zero), will occur if given enough time. If I take a deck of cards, and throw them into the air, the exact order and location of how they fall on the floor is a low probability event. One would not be reasonable in inferring Intelligent Design from this. Given enough time (1 million years?) to throw the deck of cards into the air, you could replicate this event if you were patient enough.

(2) Specification in Advance:

Any event specified in advance that is not of sufficiently low probability does not suggest Intelligent Design. For example, if I were to tell you the sun will rise tomorrow, you would not be impressed. If I told you there would be an earthquake in Los Angeles area in the next 50 years, you would not be impressed. Yes, I specified it in advance, but it is not exactly a low probability event.

However, both (1) and (2) combined can be used to indicate Intelligent Design.

For example, were NASA to intercept an electromagnetic signal that was a random string of 1,000 numbers, this would not imply intelligent design. Sure, the exact order of a random string of 1,000 numbers is a low probability event, but such things occur in nature (e.g., white noise). Also, if NASA intercepted a string of the first 4 prime numbers, 1, 2, 3, and 5, they likely would not call SETI and announce contact with space aliens. Yes, it is a numeric sequence specified in advance, but the sequence is so short that it is not of sufficiently low probability to infer an intelligent source.

However, a string of the first 1,000 prime numbers is both a very low probability event, and also shows specification in advance. There is no known natural phenomenon that produces the prime numbers, much less the first 1,000 of them! I think by this time the NASA would feel confident in calling SETI and the President to report their findings. (Assuming of course, they truly ruled out a human source for the signal.)

In parting, I hope that I illustrated that the furor over Intelligent Design is not a conflict between empirical science and religion. It is a conflict between worldviews and what evidence is allowed to inform the discussion.

The author is deeply indebted to Stand to Reason (http://www.STR.org) and Dr. William Debski for man of the ideas and illustrations in this article. Any limitations are errors are mine alone.

The Cure For The Curious Child? Thought Provoking Science Projects

Children are often curious about the world around them. Simple concepts that you and I learned about long ago are new and foreign to children. Simple questions like "what is glass made of?" and "why can you see through it?" are just two examples of how everyday things can be such a puzzle for a developing mind.

Lets all be honest; children who are constantly asking questions may be cute at first but we may get tired of the constant inquiries. Of course you want to help your children to learn and grow but you do not always have the time or the effort to explain all that your child wants to know. Nevertheless your child needs to know that you are willing to teach her and so you must find some kind a compromise.

Such a compromise can be found in doing regular science projects together. You can show that you are dedicated to helping your child and cure the curiosity bug at the same time. Setting aside time to regularly work on science projects together is a great way to get hands on experience in answering children's questions. The child benefits from the one on one time with mom and dad and can discover the answers that she is looking for through hands on experience. You will probably agree that telling a child how something works and showing a child how something works are very different (the later being the better option in most cases). It is possible for your child to develop their relationship with parents as well as their ability to be self sufficient when regular science projects become the norm.

Set aside an amount of time that you think is appropriate to do science projects with your kids. It could be once a week, once a month, or whatever other interval you feel is appropriate. Encourage your child to write down their questions and ideas for projects and choose an activity from this list that you can experiment on together. Of course you do not need to do a science project for every question your child asks. You may choose to use a project to visually demonstrate a more complicated concept or you may not know the answer to a question and may want to research it out for yourself and perform your own personal experiments.

Do not worry if you cannot come up with science projects on your own. Some of us simply do not have an affinity for creativity and ingenuity when it comes to creating a project. Fortunately there are resources available to help you in with all of your science project worries. You are sure to find a project that you and your children can enjoy doing together.

Be aware that curiosity is contagious and that as you satisfy and encourage your child's curiosity you may be hit with a bit more curiosity of your own. Science can be fun whether you are in school or at home or whether you are an adult or a child.

Just Science Projects is a well-known source for science projects and science experiments [http://www.justscienceprojects.com/] for kids. Just Science Projects features dozens of fun experiments and projects that teach science principles while showing them that science is fun! To get science projects and science fair ideas for your kids [http://www.justscienceprojects.com/], visit us or call us at 206-498-6502.

Choosing The Right Science Project For Your Child

Choosing the right science project for your child does not have to be a guessing game. There are a few simple ways to evaluate a project to see if the level of difficulty is something that your child can handle. No matter the project the processes of asking a question, collecting data, and coming to a conclusion are the same. The more that your child is able to practice solving problems through using this type of scientific process, the faster they will be able to develop their learning speed. A child who can learn how to thing critically can not only find ways to succeed in science but in all of the other subjects that he or she is studying and will study throughout life.

As you begin choosing the right science project for your child keep the following three components of a good project in mind:

o The question - What are you trying to find out?

o The experiment - How will you go about testing your theories of what the result may be?

o The result - Reporting on how you came to your conclusion.

As you discuss potential science project options with your child make sure that your child is able to answer how he or she will address the above components. If the project is so complex that the child has no idea how he might test his theories, then perhaps a more basic experiment is needed. If a child can come to conclusions on his own of how he can conduct the experiments and carry-out the project, you should have relatively few complications.

Have a timeline

It is important to teach your child to plan ahead and start working on a project early so that you are not rushing to finish anything the night before the project is due. You want to also give yourself enough time to repeat an experiment if something does not go according to plan.

Choose a project with personal application

Kids tend to get more excited about projects that they believe have a personal application rather than projects that have nothing to do with their interest. Explaining everyday occurrences like how the washing machine works or why a light comes on when you flip a switch keep a child thinking constantly as they will learn to see science happening all around them.

Performing the experiment

Generally there are two processes involved with performing an experiment. These processes are investigation and laboratory experimentation. In an investigation you gather data by observing natural occurrences. By observing something you are simply recording what you see happening. When you experiment on something in a 'laboratory' type of a setting, you are altering your object and noting the results. For example, you may want to study the effects that different type of water and additives have on fresh flowers. You may add food coloring to one vase, sugar to another, etc. and record the results of your changes.

Writing a report

Science projects requiring lengthy reports or explanations are best suited for older children or children who have had practice writing papers. Writing a report is often a child's most difficult task when it comes to turning in a science project. Although as a parent you should be able to help your child with the report, if your child is unable to do most of the reporting by himself, perhaps a less complicated project is appropriate.

Get some help Online

Many times it is difficult to find a quality science project that fits the abilities and interest of your child and that will actually work every time it is tried. If you are looking for dependable science project ideas just search online. Many websites offer a wide variety of science project ideas for children of all ages and abilities. Their easy-to-follow instructions can guide your child through every part of the project including the end report and even the displaying of a finished product.

Just Science Projects is a popular science fair projects [http://www.justscienceprojects.com/] and elementary and middle school science experiments site. Whether you're looking for great science activities and experiments for kids [http://www.justscienceprojects.com/], science projects, or science fair ideas, Just Science Projects is your source. To get great, fun projects visit our website or call us at 206-498-6502.

What Does It Mean to Get An Education?

The phrase "get an education" gets tossed around so much with little thought to what an education really is. Have you ever stopped to ask what that really means? "I want my kids to get an education!", "I want to go back to school and get an education!" We hear it all the time. But what is this prize package? I have gone to school for a large portion of my life an I'm still not sure what the phrase means.

If we went off what the world considers an education I would say it could be summed up with a checklist. You need to pass a set of courses, with a wide degree of variation in scoring by the way, and then you are educated. At this point you will get a piece of paper and your are considered ready for a large amount of job opportunities. Once you have passed these courses it is highly unlikely anyone will check to see how well you did or if you remember any of it. How useful is this? Many have told me that this is more of a process to see who is willing to go that extra mile. You can assume that if someone got their degree they have spent large amounts of time studying and examining theories and practical application for many areas that should make them more profitable in the workplace. Having gone through the process I can tell you that some do and some don't. I know several people that did the bare minimum and still got the same diploma that I did. On the other hand I also now several people that worked harder than me but did not seem like they would be a high quality employee. To put it bluntly they seemed like they may be eaten alive in any work environment. Education comes in many different degrees.Pun intended.

In the work environment I have seen many that have degrees from more prestigious Universities and others from less. Guess what? It doesn't matter. Maybe in the hiring process it does but some are better at what they do regardless of their origins. In fact I would defend the idea that some that have not even had formal education could outperform some that have spent thousands of hours in the classroom. So who is better educated?

When I did my own analysis on education I had to start at the beginning. What is it that I would like my child going into kindergarten to know? The real answer is to work well with others. I want them to be able to be kind, be fair, and if necessary stand up for themselves as ethically as possible. Notice I didn't say learn their A,B,C's. That comes next.

Learning essential knowledge is the second part. A person must be able to problem solve, and work through life's many challenges. This is where the multiplication and language skills come in. I think it is very important to learn math, reading, and science. The more a person knows about these things the more completely they can analyze a situation.

Some may think that I'm leaning toward not getting a formal education but I'm not. Every situation is different, and luckily every person is different as well. Some people will have to strive their whole life to gain the knowledge that others seemed to have acquired easily. Although this may seem unfair I still believe everyone has the same opportunity for success. To what area and extent for this success I would say it will be different for everyone.

So what is an education? It is the ability to gain and use all available knowledge and experience to make wise decision. Some answers will come from the heart and others from the head. Some questions will take much more effort from both. And some may end up with a coin toss or a game of rock, paper, scissors. Either way an education can come in all different forms. There is great value in a college experience but there is also great value in time playing on the playground. There is no one path to enlightenment and ultimately it is up to the adventurer to choose what they want to take away from their adventure. If you can use the knowledge and experiences you gain, to make your life better, your education was a success.

Ultimately I have to look at my children. I want them to be happy more than anything in the world. If I have a topic that they must learn I can ask myself one question. "Will this ultimately add to their happiness?" If the answer is yes then it is worth learning. To me, that is an education!

"Never let formal education get in the way of your learning."

-Mark Twain

Our Modern Technology

We are currently in the era where all progress soars at a very fast rate society is continually adapting to come up with solutions to solve a majority of world problems. Technology is the substitute of human domination. It is meant to make mankind smarter and stronger. In this world where people cannot live without any handheld device, computer and internet connection, our suffering world is starting to realize that technology has an opposite effect. We forgot about those who are demented in attempting to make ends meet, lack the basic necessities of life, and those who are mostly neglected.

When the nuclear power was discovered, it started to terrify and paralyze its developers. The extensibility of our modern machineries and its dexterity has made a mess in our society and lead to economic sluggishness. Now is the time to use technology to assist those who cannot help themselves. By utilizing these technologies, there will be much progress in the field of science and medicine, economic establishment dependent on the Internet, emergence of information gateways, and new approach to industrial and farming division. Technology will give the knowledge and education to these people so they may become flourishing nations so they finally can provide on their own.

Time will come that common sickness will be controlled and people will live healthier and longer lives. When an exchange of industrial and agricultural technology take place, new jobs will also be concocted to give higher wages to more people at the same time will prevent child labor. Food supply will also increase; health and medical care will no longer be a problem. Crime rates will be greatly reduced as people are now able to meet their needs. A small jumpstart from these third world countries, alleviation in the lifestyle will be easily felt.

Modern technology utilization, like Internet, a person, or a group of people, may become major role players in the expanding electronic economy. The cost of business transaction can be made affordable with the help of easily and accessible technology. Companies and businesses will start emerging, thus more demand on workforce. This stable growth will in turn result in additional health and educational funding, additional infrastructure; the result will be a country that is competitive in the world market. If these developing countries embrace the technological advancement it will bridge the gap that these developed countries have with underdeveloped ones.

If we treat each as equals, share advancements in technology, the global majority will no longer race to win, but race to help those in need through technological transfers, then the global audience will benefit. Technology is not meant to be used only by the strong minority. Technology is not meant for the gifted few, but it is meant for the whole.

Maintaining Balance in a Technological World

In the modern age of texts, tweets, and status updates, it is of utmost importance that parents maintain open lines of face-to-face, soul-to-soul communication with their children. This does not mean resisting a highly technological world that is not going away, but rather continually exploring new ways to connect with one another both on and beyond the keyboard. The new technology in and of itself is not detrimental to children and can be quite useful to them in many ways, but it must be coupled with daily opportunities for personal reflection, creative inspiration, and heart connection with others. It becomes the parents' role to both monitor technological use as their children's sole means of communication and to provide the space and encouragement for life-affirming communication and choices.

Today's children often become immersed in a world of technology and friendships that may seem quite foreign to parents. The more attuned parents are to their children's interests other than technology, the better able they are to utilize those interests as opportunities for expanded connection. Parents can view all interests as possible pathways to enhance real life interactions. Parents must observe closely what truly brings their children joy, where they are most authentic, and what makes their eyes sparkle. To light the path of infusing deeper meaning into everyday life, parents must continually assess whether they are offering a true understanding of core concepts like authenticity, self-love, connectedness, gratitude and presence in tandem with their children's inevitable foray into a fast-paced and ever-changing technological world. Parents must not only teach these concepts but also model ways for their children to integrate them into life experiences and relationships.

The invitation for all parents is to actively participate in as many areas of their children's lives as possible without decreasing their natural move towards independence. Children's passions when viewed from an expanded perspective offer rich material and opportunity to connect with them in deep and joyous ways. Songs, movies, and all veins of creative expression (even technology) provide optimal entry points into daily conversation and in-depth discussion. Parents can utilize everyday life to dissect and review the core concepts mentioned above to expand perspective and enhance the parent/child bond. The space and opportunity to discuss the touchstones of the day can be created through a weekly family discussion, a nightly chat at bedtime, the family dinner, or time spent together in the car with technology off. Parents must be continually on the lookout for a bridge into their children's world, while at the same time enforce time-outs from computerized communication.

Due to the fact that the new technology is here to stay, to resist it outright will create a backlash for parents and children alike. Instead, the best strategy is to discuss often and enforce expectations regarding appropriate use. Parents must explain to their children why balance in this area is vital to their overall well-being. The capacity to be inspired to create in any venue requires downtime, reflection, openness, and connection to the deeper space within. It is important for children to understand that there is a place for multi-tasking and technological communication, but it is the relationship with their own interior and life itself that ignites their highest potential.

As parents give their children permission to be authentic in their choices, they must also offer them the parental insight that there are multiple angles to every choice. Parents can encourage transparency and honesty by creating a family structure that helps children monitor their choices-such as computer use on the first floor only and no hand-held devices allowed during meal times, family outings, or after 8pm. Parents should not be afraid to expect and enforce accountability, while at the same time remain open to the child's new world. It is imperative that parents take the time to teach children that current choices affect future reality. In other words, parents should assist them in coming to understand that they are the source, not the effect-joy begets more joy, inspiration begets more inspiration, and also the opposite.

Conscious parenting requires active participation in all aspects of family life including the explosive use of technology. Parents must remain extremely aware of their own technological use and their presence within the family. As parents feel their way in regards to their own relationship to technology, they can begin to intuitively reach for the openings to interact richly with their children that occur naturally rather than push too hard at the wrong time. The teenage years are fast and fleeting. There is much sharing, laughter, togetherness, and JOY to be had. As parents model balance, authentic living and deep connection, their beloved children will follow suit in their own way, through not only their face-to-face, soul-to-soul interactions, but through their inevitable online interactions as well.

Bio: A modern bridge between the mainstream and the mystical, Annie Burnside is an author, educator, parent, and soul nurturer specializing in conscious relationships and spiritual development. As a soul nurturer she helps others awaken to their own truth in all aspects of life by providing the tools and encouragement to experience direct divine connection in everyday reality. Annie created a spiritual support practice in 2005 to support others in balancing the exterior world with an interior focus. Her recent book Soul to Soul Parenting: A Guide to Raising a Spiritually Conscious Family (Wyatt-MacKenzie, 2010) inspires parents to utilize everyday mediums to infuse greater spiritual awareness into daily family life. She writes the Soul to Soul Perspective: A Little Bit of Soul Goes a Long Way blog for the Chicago Tribune and the family consciousness column for Evolving Your Spirit Magazine. Annie lives with her husband and three children in Chicago, IL. More information about Annie can be found at http://www.annieburnside.com.