Soul

[Tex]

It's not that science and metaphysics are separating, it's more that the "need" for metaphysics is shrinking.

The more we learn the less need there is for metaphysical explanations for everything. Or for anything for that matter.

No no, that's not what I meant. The same things a scientist does now would have been done by a metaphysician back then. They don't have as good of technology, of course, but they're goal is to explain the boiling effect (water on the bottom is hotter) or something like that. They would make completely natural distinctions.

The term "scientist" didn't even appear until the 19th century, and was coined by a theologian. Science before then was called "natural philosophy", subsection in the larger category "metaphysics". Issac newton was a natural philosopher. His most famous book is called, "The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy". If we had the old terminology, natural philosophy would include things (but not limited to) like astronomy, etiology (evolution fits here), mechanics (physics here), quantities and chance (mathematics), the elements (chemistry) and nature itself (biology).

Today, even with the change of terminology, all scientists, regardless of the knowledge, still have metaphysical principles in the back of their mind. The first is the relationship of cause and effect. Magnesium will react with water every time. The break down of sugar in the healthy body produces energy every time. If causes don't lead the predictable effects, science shouldn't be able to answer anything (but causes do lead to predictable effects, so we're good).

The other big one (which doesn't apply to all) is a presupposition called "empiricism". This metaphysical principle states that the only things that exist are material. Most of you here practice this. However, the principle "only material things exist" cannot actually be tested under the scientific method. When tried, you're only using material senses (be it the tester or an artificial measure) and therefore can never account for anything immaterial.