Re: Exploding Evidence of God's Hand?

Bill Hamilton (hamilton@predator.cs.gmr.com)
Wed, 4 Oct 1995 16:24:13 -0500

Loren quoted me:
>Bill Hamilton replied to Stephen,
>
>BH> But perhaps it's useful to remark on what we mean by
>> "explanation". Typically, scientific explanations explain the mechanisms
>> that contribute to an observed phenomena. IOW they explain natural effects
>> in terms of natural causes. It is a mistake (and people on both sides of
>> the origins debate make this mistake) to assume that a scientific
>> explanation explains ultimate causation. It doesn't. The kind of
>> explanation Stephen is asking for is an explanation which gets at
>> fundamental causes -- something totally outside the capability of empirical
>> science. [...]
>>
>> Scientific explanations aim to determine what methods the designer used.
>> Theistic explanations aim to understand (to the extent He allows it) the
>> Designer.
>
>I agree with the last paragraph completely, and I agree that it is a
>mistake to assume that a scientific explanation explains ultimate
>causation. (To use Howard VanTill's terms, "governance" means more than
>"behavior," and "origins" means more than "formative history.")
>
>However, I interpretted Stephen's remarks as questioning the _method_ of
>human formative history, not the ultimate causation.

Perhaps I was reading too much into Stephen's statement. My reaction was
that he was listing a fairly improbable sequence of developments that
nevertheless happened, and asking how it could have happened. The implied
answer is "God did it." I agree that He did, but I believe it's worthwhile
to study the steps that occurred and how they happened, to the extent we
can. Such a study isn't likely to prove God did or didn't do it. But it
ought to give us valuable insights about just how He does things.

Stephen: I think my tone in responding to your post may have been somewhat
frustrated and impolite. I apologize.

Bill Hamilton | Vehicle Systems Research
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