Re: [asa] Believing Scripture but Playing by Science’s Rules

While I don't think I'd agre with Ross' epistemology, it seems entirely
consistent with S.J. Gould's "separate magesteria," doesn't it? I don't
like Gould's approach, but if a person like Ross who holds YEC views chooses
to adopt it, and his work in his academic program lives in the "science"
magesterium, why should he be denied a degree?

The problem I could foresee is that this approach for someone like Ross is
just a facade; that after earning his credential, he will take more of an
old-school warfare stance and will use his credential to boost his
credibility in that arena. But that's a very cynical view of a person's
motives, and in any event seems beyond the purview of a Ph.D. committee in a
paleontology department. Also, his critics could see through that and
publicize it if it ever happens.

A final thought -- if this represents some real shift in the epistemology of
serious YEC thinkers, maybe that's a good thing. If someone wants to hold
that the Bible teaches one thing about creation, science teaches another,
and at present this presents a mystery, I wouldn't have a problem with that
per se. The problem for me is when that person insists that his/her
approach to resolving the mystery is the only orthodox approach.

On 2/12/07, Ted Davis <TDavis@messiah.edu> wrote:
>
> I want to comment on these closing lines from the Times article:
>
> <Dr. Dini, of Texas Tech, agreed. Scientists "ought to make certain the
> people they are conferring advanced degrees on understand the philosophy of
> science and are indeed philosophers of science," he said. "That's what
> Ph.D. stands for.">
>
> It's a nice sentiment, but I doubt that most scientists have much
> understanding of the philosophy of science. And what "philosophy of
> science" means to Dini is probably not what it means to Marcus Ross, or even
> me. There are various approaches to philosophy of science, and I suspect
> that Dini is thinking of something pretty strongly positivistic.
>
> List members may recall that I mentioned Ross some time back, in
> connection with talking about Kurt Wise and Paul Nelson as YECs with a new
> attitude--an attitude not appreciated in many YEC circles. I noted his
> contribution to the DVD on the Cambrian explosion that he did with Steve
> Meyer, esp the fact that he apparently accepted the earth's great age for
> purposes of doing the DVD.
>
> ted
>
>
>
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-- 
David W. Opderbeck
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