Many people mistakenly believe that modern science rules out the possibility of God, soul, spirit, and other supernatural entities. They think that scientists are only interested in the natural world -- this physical universe of space and time, plus everything within it.
Not true.
Thanks to a link emailed to me by Alex Szeto of the Hong Kong Unitarian Universalists, I was able to read and enjoy "Is Scientific Inquiry Restricted to Nature?" by Tom Clark and Ursula Goodenough (seems like that was the name of a James Bond femme fatale; at least, it should have been).
Actually, Goodenough is a noted biologist with a strong interest in religious naturalism. Wikipedia has this quote from her:
“I profess my Faith. For me, the existence of all this complexity and awareness and intent and beauty, and my ability to apprehend it, serves as the ultimate meaning and the ultimate value. The continuation of life reaches around, grabs its own tail, and forms a sacred circle that requires no further justification, no Creator, no super-ordinate meaning of meaning, no purpose other than that the continuation continue until the sun collapses or the final meteor collides. I confess a credo of continuation. And in so doing, I confess as well a credo of human continuation”.
Nice. Tom Clark is the director of The Center for Naturalism, where Goodenough serves on the advisory board. Here's how the Center's web site describes their approach.
The Center for Naturalism promotes science-based naturalism as a comprehensive worldview - a rational and fulfilling alternative to faith-based religions and other varieties of supernaturalism. The under-standing that we are fully natural beings is the foundation for an effective approach to personal and social concerns, and highlights our intimate connection to the awe-inspiring universe described by science.
Now, this seems at odds with the article's thesis that science is open to the supernatural. But actually, it isn't. Clark and Goodenough say:
It is often said that the scientific enterprise is in the business of studying the natural world, the implication being that there’s some pre-established, pre-packaged thing out there called Nature that scientists get to study, after which there are other domains that scientists don’t get to study and indeed aren’t supposed to study.
In fact, the scientific enterprise is engaged in analyzing anything that comes along using its agreed-upon empirical methodologies, developed over the years as the most effective means to reduce subjective and cultural bias when modeling reality.
If, for example, someone were to come up with a robust God hypothesis that suggested observational tests to evaluate its validity, then rest assured, scientists would be hopping all over it — what better way to the vaunted goal of scientific fame and glory than documenting the existence of God? Indeed, scientists have already applied their wares to testable hypotheses along these lines, such as whether intercessory prayer is effective, and have thus far come a cropper.
Read the entire piece. It's pretty short, and right on about faith vs. facts.
There's no need to choose between science and spirituality. Reality is what we're after. Wherever it leads us, that's where the truth seeker goes. There are, of course, different levels of real.
Imagination is real, but only in the sense of neurons coming up with fantastical notions in a physical brain. So far, this is the best explanation for the God hypothesis. But, hey, one day it could be proven. Science has an open mind, as should we all.
So, could science stumble upon and observationally confirm the existence of the supernatural, or something besides nature? If we define nature as what’s confirmed to exist by science-based inquiry, then it would seem that any confirmed scientific discovery, however bizarre, will get added to the list of natural phenomena. This implies that sticking with science results in naturalism, that only nature exists.
But such is not necessarily the case. Although the God-as-agent hypothesis hasn’t yet panned out, this isn’t because science is biased against the existence of God or the supernatural.
If an observationally robust phenomenon comes along that, for good theoretical or explanatory reasons, forces us to conceptually divide reality into nature and something besides nature, then so be it. We’d have stayed true to the scientific method, unrivaled in giving us reliable models of reality and for scientists in their professional capacity that’s what matters.
nah, science is not concerned with the supernatural, just as physiscs is not metaphysics. \science is simply a method of enquiry into our universe (things that exist) based on evidence.
I dont really understand when ppl want to try reconcile science with their beliefs, thats not the point of science, which is its own seperate realm or domain of enquiry, which requires evidence.
Science has its limits also, since it can only always be a model of reality, not reality itself, and certainly it has very little or nothing to say about subjective consciousness or mystical experiences or meaning.
Posted by: George | June 13, 2010 at 04:07 PM
George, I agree that science isn't concerned with the supernatural. But that's because there isn't any demonstrable evidence of the supernatural -- not because science a priori rules out phenomena beyond the physical reality we know now.
Superstring theory posits additional dimensions between the four we're familiar with (three of space, one of time). These aren't proven to exist, but some scientists think they might be one day. If this happens, would these "extra" dimensions be supernatural?
In one sense, yes, because they would extend our knowledge of what is natural. However, once there is evidence for these additional dimensions, they would become part of the natural cosmos as understood by science.
So I liked how this essay reminded us that it is reliance on evidence that defines science, not a preconceived notion of what sorts of evidence are theoretically possible.
Posted by: Brian Hines | June 14, 2010 at 11:06 PM
From: Reflections in a Petri Dish
http://zippittydodah.blogspot.com/2010/06/snake-dancing-like-sleepwalkers-into.html
"Snake Dancing like Sleepwalkers into Childhood's End"
“... some noisy avatar is getting closer and closer to Ground Zero every day and his band is loaded with tom toms, tympanis and big bass drums. So there’s a lot of virtual ground shaking going on and, from the other end up (this isn’t scientifically sound, so treat it as a metaphor or an analogy) it looks like the ground has been shaking for awhile; the ocean floor, casino roofs, financial institutions, governments and pretty much everything that involves Earth and a connection to it, is looking like a conga line of giant spice worms, moving under the infrastructure.
Massive murder machines, driven by extra-terrestrial alien will, have crossed the Suez and are headed for Maynardville (Thunder Road). Atomic Israeli subs, courtesy of a duped German Republic, are in the mix. Across the world, enormous oil slicks are killing the wild life and rescuers are being interdicted and possibly arrested because rescued giant sea turtles don’t look good when cooking in a flaming oil tempura wok without the batter. Sorry, that’s what the oil’s for. Hundreds of thousands of sea birds are making their heavy, beleaguered way into the dying wetlands to join in a massive unseen death rite while the rest of the poor creatures just sink to the ocean floor.
The toxins from the oil spill are traveling in the air and causing spontaneous diarrhea outbreaks which (according to witnesses), are causing whole communities to stink; giving witness to how pervasive it is. Those on land and sea are also experiencing a variety of reactions to the poison that is filling the breathing spaces with all sorts of terrible anti-body chemicals. There’s word of a huge gas bubble that might explode and send tsunamis, hundreds of feet high in all directions. Meanwhile, the alien and satanic driven, crime syndicate nation of Israel is motoring into the Persian Gulf to attack Iran with their American bitch, done up in leather restraints and gag-reflex ping pong balls, like some zombie nation that got born in that basement in Pulp Fiction.
Longshoremen around the world are refusing to unload Israeli/MagogkeNazi goods. When this finally, with great speed, becomes ubiquitous, Rothschildlandia is dead and the nation with no right to exist, based on lies and violence and born out of the much greater Soviet Holocaust (for which they are solely responsible), will sink into the infernal regions from which the idea first emerged. No greater boon can be granted humanity at this time. A determined inquiry into who owns British Petroleum and so many other noxious, corporate, alien parasite driven, concerns shows just how great the boon will be.
The public fallout from the flotilla massacres and the psychopathic film parodies has put the Cast Lead demon-Orcs beyond the efforts of any P.R. firm or all P.R. firms in tandem. Now, various flotillas approach the Israeli gulag, concentration camp of Gaza and possibly one of them is filled with women. Brave hearts have been awakened by The Apocalypse and all governments opposing such efforts by their citizens should have the Ceauşescu Method applied across the board. This is the force of The Apocalypse. It not only reveals the darkness and its practitioners to the light, it forces them into actions of exposure as a divine punctuation on their intent and fealty to the Prince of Darkness. We’ve already discussed whether such a thing exists or not and have made it clear that it doesn’t matter what name you call it or how you define it, it’s there.
Because of world outrage and reaction, similar to the longshoremen and because of direct action by collective efforts like flotillas and including the support of surrounding nations and former friends, whose leaders were targeted for assassination by Israel/MagogkeNazi Nation and caught at it… an attack on Iran is the only thing that will take the eye of the sleeping public away from the deeds of the waking public. It’s been announced that a majority of the citizens of various western nations are in support of attacking Iran; anyone at all, their relatives, friends and even themselves, I guess. None of this will work. The attempted killing of the world’s oceans won’t work and let me take a moment to recognize Kevin Costner’s contribution to the problem. I’ve always been a fan, regardless of what anyone else thinks.
If you can’t interpret the meaning of what is happening, you probably aren’t reading this anyway. Once more, a simple synopsis; stone cold evil, counterfeit money lending, parasite terrestrials, in a link up with fellow traveling, alien parasites and dark shit golems from the inner planes, who have narcotized world leaders with promises of power, flesh and money, are engaged in a program of world conquest and wide spread confinement, murder, eugenics and euthanasia of the peoples of the world with the intent of keeping a certain amount for servants and amusement.
You don’t need a more complex picture than this. In the process of their indefensible acts they have the belief that they are doing these things. The truth is that they are being forced to continue in their nasty perversions, until they are unmasked before the eyes of the world and… at a given time they are in for a real surprise. This surprise is a world enveloping consciousness of change that is going to express itself in many different ways.
It is not possible to awaken the majority of these criminals in any way but through their total destruction. It is not possible to awaken the majority of the sleeping world by any means other than armageddon like conditions. This mindset is actually being pushed by those manipulating the Rohypnol saturated, dreamers but many surprises are possible yet.
Media from the right, center and left, along with any other mediums that present themselves as truthful and alternative are nearly all engines of disinfo. Only the secret voice of the inner heart can be trusted and no one speaking or writing can be trusted who does not resonate with it. I myself know only a handful of sites, reflecting the fingers on one hand, which I have discovered to be legitimate.
To anyone who is awake and asking what they can do, I say to join with others in a massive push for revelation and change. The primary forces and agents of these forces that are in predatory operation against humanity will not be, cannot be, changed by debate; appeals to better nature, evidence of their own approaching destruction, common sense, the echo of a lost innocence, the memory of a better self or anything else. The secondary agents; formerly lost in delusion and self interest can be changed and shamed into acts of self-redemption and a passion to recover what they have lost.
The coming weeks are going to provide both proof and opportunity to awakening souls around the world. The time when perverse actions like the holocausts in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere are over. Every new act will now only cement the belief of many that what they have been increasingly suspecting is actually true. These acts will also awaken others who are still rubbing at the cobwebs over their eyes and on their hearts and minds.
The power of a force, long unseen, is coming into view and all of this is a feature of The Apocalypse. As the old world is reduced to raw materials and the new world is constructed out of this reduction, those personally associating themselves with either will rise or fall accordingly. This is set in something far denser than stone and cannot be turned aside or halted in any way. It is going to happen and it is happening and nothing can prevent it.
The time is at hand when the miraculous will be common place and there will no longer be logical or material means to spin it as something else. It is happening right now and each new day will bring further evidence that the supernatural is in full operation upon the fading reality of what was once believed to be real. Have no fear other than the fear that you are serving the wrong agenda. Bend and you need not be broken."
http://zippittydodah.blogspot.com/2010/06/snake-dancing-like-sleepwalkers-into.html
Posted by: tAo | June 21, 2010 at 04:11 PM