Lesson 10 - Science and Scripture

Question 1

What are the various responses that have been given to justify induction? Which responses are valid and which are invalid?

Answer 1

Induction: form of reasoning that derives general conclusions from particular observations
– The problem is that inductive reasoning presupposes the uniformity of nature

Responses:

• • Definitional Justification: induction is rational by definition (You can’t make induction rational just by defining it as so)
• • Empirical justification: uniformity has always been observed in the past (You can’t use induction to prove induction (circular reasoning))
• • Conceptual justification: uniformity is the simplest assumption
• • Pragmatic justification: uniformity is the best bet practically speaking
• • Fideist justification: uniformity is just one of many unproven axioms
• • Theological justification: uniformity is known because God is known

Question 2

What responses can a Christian give to a person who is arguing that science is incompatible with Christianity?

Answer 2

1. ) Show that the practice of science depends on philosophical presuppositions that can only be accounted for within a Christian worldview. (Science is not self-justifying; Science depends on a certain worldview, it is not neutral)
2. ) Philosophical Presuppositions of Science
   - - The existence of a real, mind-independent, external world
   - - The orderly nature of the external world
   - - The knowabilty of the external world
   - - Existence of truth
   - - Laws of logic
   - - The reliability of our senses and cognitive faculties for acquiring truth
   - - Adequacy of language to describe the world
   - - Existence of moral values
   - - Uniformity of nature and reliability of induction
   - - Existence of numbers

Question 3

What are the problems associated with adopting Darwinism?

Answer 3

1. ) Evolution is frequently understood in different ways, and evidence for evolution in one sense is not necessarily evidence for evolution in other senses
2. ) The evidence for Darwinian evolution can also be accommodated by non-Darwinian alternatives
3. ) The evidence for Darwinian evolution is only compelling to those who have a prior commitment to methodological naturalism.
4. ) Our approach to scientific theorizing and our interpretation of scientific evidence is not worldview-neutral but rather worldview-conditioned. Christians have excellent independent reasons for holding a biblical worldview and for evaluating scientific theories and evidences in terms of that worldview.
5. ) Scientific Arguments against Darwinism
   - - The lack of a viable mechanism for developing complex specified information
   - - origin of life
   - - origin of genetic code
   - - origin of multi-celled organism
   - - Cambrian explosion
   - -