RE: Does Science Presume Naturalism?
December 15, 2013 at 11:13 pm
(This post was last modified: December 15, 2013 at 11:15 pm by JohnCrichton72.)
(December 15, 2013 at 11:05 pm)MindForgedManacle Wrote: Since I'm not very familiar with the philosophy of science, I'd figure I'd leave this question for those who are. Basically, do you think science has a commitment to metaphysical naturalism, or at least methodological naturalism?
"the philosophical belief that everything arises from natural properties and causes, and supernatural or spiritual explanations are excluded or discounted."
Yes, the supernatural and spiritual by definition (depends on how you define them I guess) are not quantifiable by scientific means. If they were they wouldn't be "super"natural but natural, observable, quantifiable, could be independently verified and abide by natural laws. Hence Natural. Supernatural things exist in a suspension of the natural laws. Even undiscovered ones.
A good example is dark matter, we can't do any of the above.......... not going to make scientists stop hypothesising and inquiring and assume "God did it".
