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Methodological naturalism is the philosophical tenet that, within scientific enquiry, one can only use naturalistic explanation - i.e. one's explanations must not presuppose the existence of supernatural forces and entities. Note that methodological naturalism does not hold that such entities or forces do not exist, but merely that one cannot use them in scientific explanation. Methodological naturalism is often considered to be an implied working rule of all scientific research and logically entails neither philosophical naturalism nor atheism, though many would argue that it can implies such a connection. |
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Methodological naturalism is the philosophical tenet that, within scientific enquiry, one can only use naturalistic explanation - i.e. one's explanations must not presuppose the existence of supernatural forces and entities. Note that methodological naturalism does not hold that such entities or forces do not exist, but merely that one cannot use them in scientific explanation. Methodological naturalism is often considered to be an implied working rule of all scientific research and logically entails neither philosophical naturalism nor atheism, though some would argue that it implies such a connection. |
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:Our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural. We take the side of science in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community of unsubstantiated just–so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counterintuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door. |
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:Our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural. We take the side of science in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community of unsubstantiated just?so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counterintuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door. |
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In this context it important to note that Lewontin seems to have changed his mind, in order to agree with Johnson's claim that evolutionary theory is based on an absolute or philosophical naturalism. However, it is also important to note that Lewontin's statement does not amount to a wholesale acceptance of Johnson's project, since Johnson is defending the right of the advocates of intelligent design theory to have their case evaluated on the merits of the current evidence, while Lewontin is claiming that rigorous scientific methodology requires an absolute commitment to rule out such evidence on a priori grounds. |
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In this context it important to note that Lewontin seems to have changed his mind, in order to agree with Johnson's claim that evolutionary theory is based on an absolute or philosophical naturalism. However, it is also important to note that Lewontin's statement does not amount to a wholesale acceptance of Johnson's project, since Johnson is defending the right of the advocates of intelligent design theory to have their case evaluated on the merits of the current evidence, while Lewontin is claiming that rigorous scientific methodology requires an absolute commitment to natualism which rules out such evidence on a priori grounds. |
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