User:Freedom777/IDdefinitions
From Conservapedia
Definitions
Proper definition of terms is critical to begin to understand the "evolution" debate. In fact, terms like "evolution" are notoriously devoid of any specific meaning in most textbooks, a fact that Darwinists exploit in selling a theory of unguided, purposeless, meaningless existence as merely "change over time." Likewise, important terms like "naturalism", materialism", "methodological naturalism" and "teleological" are entirely absent from most people's vocabulary. For this reason, the following terms are used herein with the precise meaning shown in the definitions below:
Chemical Evolution: The hypothesis that the appearance of life from non-living materials occurred via Material Causes alone.
Darwinism or Darwinian Evolution: A materialistic theory of the history of the diversification of organisms from common ancestors through a process of descent with modification. The theory postulates that evolutionary change is the result of Material Causes, driven primarily by random variation and Natural Selection.
Evolution: Change over time; with respect to living organisms, the process by which life has diversified after it originated.
Historical Hypothesis: An hypothesis that proposes an explanation for the direct cause of unobserved events and processes that occurred in the very remote past, that can not be duplicated under presently observable conditions and that are not amenable to experimental confirmation.
Intelligent Cause: A cause attributable to a mind or some form of intelligence that can manipulate matter and energy for a purpose.
Intelligent Design: An hypothesis that some natural phenomena are best explained by reference to Intelligent Causes rather than to only Material Causes. As such, Intelligent Design is the scientific disagreement with, and the falsifying hypothesis for, the claims of Chemical and Darwinian Evolution that the apparent design of certain natural phenomena is just an illusion. Intelligent design can also be viewed as the Science of design detection applied to natural phenomena.
Material Cause: An unintelligent cause attributable to the interractions of the properties of matter, energy and the forces of nature. The "forces" include gravity, the electromagnetic force and the weak and strong nuclear forces that define the structure of the atom. The laws of chemistry and physics such as the laws of motion and the laws of thermodynamics dictate that material causes operate to in generally periodic or regular patterns that are predictable. Due to the appearance that these causes are "fine-tuned" for life, ID theory argues that those unintelligent causes may be the product of an intelligent cause.
Methodological Naturalism: A method of Science premised on a refutable assumption that naturalism/materialism is true. Methodological naturalism becomes a dogma or rule when it requires all scientific explanations of origins to be premised on a non-refutable assumption that naturalism/materialism is true. Such a position is referred to as dogmatic methodological naturalism.
Naturalism or Materialism: A philosophical doctrine that Material Causes alone are adequate to account for all natural phenomena and that Teleological (design) conceptions of nature are invalid.
Natural Selection: The natural process in which the fittest in a population survive to pass on their heritable traits to subsequent generations while those less fit may die off leaving no offspring resulting in the termination of the traits of the less fit organism.
Non-Theistic Religion: Religions and belief systems that presuppose that no God intervenes in the natural world and that Material Causes, such as unguided evolutionary change, are adequate to explain natural phenomena. Non-Theistic Religions include Atheism, Secular Humanism, and Scientism, as well as some forms of Buddhism and other eastern Religions. Many pantheistic or pagan religions like Wicca, which worship the natural world, do not postulate an intervening creative intelligence that has created life for a purpose.
Origins Science: Scientific inquiry about biological and cosmological origins.
Religion: A broad range of theistic and non-Theistic Religions and religious belief systems.
Science: A systematic search for knowledge and Understanding about the natural world generally conducted in accordance with the Scientific Method. Science is skeptical rather than dogmatic and seeks Objective rather than subjective explanations.
Scientific Method: The principles and procedures used in the systematic pursuit of Intersubjectively Accessible knowledge, and involving as necessary procedures: (1) the recognition and formulation of a problem; (2) the collection of data through observation and, if possible, experiment; (3) the formulation of hypotheses; and, (4) the testing and confirmation of the hypotheses formulated.
Teleological: Exhibiting or relating to design or purpose, especially in nature.
Theistic Religion: Religions and belief systems which presuppose that a God or Gods intervene in the natural world by creating and making natural phenomena for a purpose. Theistic Religions include traditional forms of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, as well as certain forms of Hinduism. Theistic Religions presuppose an Intelligent Cause for the origin of life and its diversity.
