Re: Naturalism, What does it Mean?

From: Howard J. Van Till (hvantill@chartermi.net)
Date: Fri Oct 03 2003 - 08:20:31 EDT

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    >From: "Ted Davis" <TDavis@messiah.edu>

    >
    > Scientific Naturalism -- the conjunction of naturalism, the claim that
    > nature is all that there is and hence that there is no supernatural order
    > above nature, along with the claim that all objects, processes, truths, and
    > facts about nature fall within the scope of the scientific method.

    Ted,

    Why use the adjective "scientific" for this purpose? It serves only to
    reinforce the popular (but mistaken) idea that science and maximal
    (ontological) naturalism are inseparably linked.

    For this reason I strongly prefer maintaining the distinctions among: 1)
    maximal naturalism -- no God; 2) minimal naturalism -- no coercive
    (supernatural) intervention; 3) methodological naturalism -- agnostic re
    God; and 4) naturalistic theism -- God, yes; coercive supernatural
    intervention, no.

    Science is compatible with all four forms of naturalism listed above, but
    could be done perfectly well with 4) or 3) or 2) as its operative basis,
    thereby avoiding the counterproductive exclusive association with 1).

    Howard

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