From: Steve Petermann (steve@spetermann.org)
Date: Thu Oct 02 2003 - 15:09:29 EDT
Howard wrote:
"I'm not sure what you are asking here, or why.
<<<<<<<<<<<<
Naturalism is a term that is bandied about a lot. I think it behooves those
interested to know what is meant by the term. Accordingly, I would like to
know what others think.
>>>>>>>>
Following is something you
have already read in my E. coli paper on the AAAS website. Did you not find
this sufficiently clear or helpful?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Well I wasn't just asking you. I would like other opinions as well.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
(2) I use the term minimal naturalism (it could also be called metaphysical
naturalism, but that name has additional connotations) to denote the family
of worldviews that reject the idea of supernatural action by any deity. All
actions (processes and events) in the universe are presumed to fall entirely
in the category of natural actions natural world in ways that are wholly
consistent with their own character
and capabilities.
<<<<<<<<<<
So this approach makes the metaphysical choice that entities(matter and
energy) are ontologically independent with their own intrinsic properties.
Would this be a person preference or is there some evidence for it?
>>>>>>>>>>>
(4) Naturalistic theism builds its worldview on the premise that there is a
God who acts purposefully and effectively in the world, but this divine
action is always persuasive and never coercive.
>>>>>>>>>>
This seems to afford some sort of freedom to human agency apart from God.
How can that be supported scientifically without appealing to some sort of
magic dualism?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In contrast to the several
forms of supernaturalistic theism, naturalistic theism rejects coercive
supernatural intervention as something that would violate the essential
natures of God, the world, and the God-world relationship.
<<<<<<<<<
I don't think this is a fair characterization of naturalistic theism.
Proponents of a naturalistic theism like CTNS, Polkinghorne, Peacocke, etc I
think would take issue that God doesn't act assertively.
Seems to me that what "naturalism" means is an affirmation of our experience
of life. That entails an affirmation that there is both a
stability(regularity) and a novelty(irregularity) to life. The source of
both is unknown and unknowable empirically.
Steve Petermann
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