Re: methodological naturalism - origin of the term?

From: George Murphy (gmurphy@raex.com)
Date: Thu Aug 28 2003 - 18:11:35 EDT

  • Next message: Howard J. Van Till: "Re: methodological naturalism - origin of the term?"

    D. F. Siemens, Jr. wrote:
    >
    > On Tue, 26 Aug 2003 10:10:11 +0100 "Steve Bishop"
    > <stevebishop_uk@hotmail.com> writes:
    > > >From: "Steve Bishop" <stevebishop_uk@hotmail.com>
    > >
    > > So far the earliest mention I have found is by Alvin Plantinga in
    > > Christian
    > > Scholar's Review XXI:1 (September 1991): 8-33
    > >
    > > "We are sometimes told that natural science is natural science. So
    > > far it is
    > > hard to object: but how shall we take the term 'natural' here? It
    > > could mean
    > > that natural science is science devoted to the study of nature. Fair
    > > enough.
    > > But it is also taken to mean that natural science involves a
    > > methodological
    > > naturalism or provisional atheism..."
    > >
    > I hold that the inclusion of "provisional atheism" is tendencious. MN is
    > not restricted to exclusion of God as explanatory within science. It also
    > excludes vitalism, the once popular notion that there was a vital force
    > or _elan vital_ in all living things. It excludes panpsychism, which is
    > currently popular in Process Theology. It excludes a soul or spirit, that
    > is, dualism. Since it cannot measure any of these things, it says nothing
    > about their existence or nonexistence. For that one has to accept
    > metaphysical or ontological naturalism.

    Dave -
            I don't see why MN has to rule out all forms of vitalism. _Elan vital_ or
    something equivalent need not be "supernatural," just a different kind of natural stuff
    from the things found in non-living entities & requiring a more general set of natural
    laws to encompass both inorganic & organic entities.
            I am not as nervous as some about the term "provisional atheism," recalling that
    in the first centuries Christians were sometimes called "atheists" because they didn't
    believe in the deities that the pagans worshipped. & if it's a question of whether or
    not I believe in the god who insists on leaving his fingerprints all over the evidence,
    I am /a/ that particular /theos/.

                                                            Shalom,
                                                            George
                             

    George L. Murphy
    gmurphy@raex.com
    http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/

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