Autonomy

2009-12-07T23:16:28Z

EWig:

'''Autonomy''' is [[independence]] or [[freedom]], and especially the right of [[government|self-government]]. Many countries have fought for autonomy from more powerful countries, most notably the [[United States]] against [[Britain]] in 1776-83.
==See also==
*[[Sovereignty]]

[[Category:Political Terms]]

Methodological naturalism

2009-12-07T23:13:54Z

EWig: formatting

'''Methodological naturalism''' is a strategy for studying the world, by which scientists choose not to consider [[supernatural]] causes - even as a remote possibility.<ref>Roger Pennock declared that "science is not based upon a dogmatic [[ontological]] or [[metaphysical]] [[naturalism]], but rather makes use of naturalism only in a heuristic, [[methodological]] manner." [http://www.msu.edu/~pennock5/research/papers/Pennock_SupNatExpl.html]</ref>

The first methodological naturalist is sometimes considered to have been [[Thales]]<ref>http://www.naturalism.org/history.htm</ref>, who explained earthquakes (which were traditionally attributed to the anger of the god [[Poseidon]]) with an early theory of [[Plate tectonics|plate tectonics]]
<ref>Padamsee, Hasan. Unifying the Universe: the Physics of Heaven and Earth. CRC Press, 2003. Page 15.</ref>.

According to [[Christian]] [[Philosophy|philosopher]] [[Alvin Plantinga]], "The philosophical doctrine of methodological naturalism holds that, for any study of the world to qualify as "scientific," it cannot refer to God's creative activity (or any sort of divine activity)." <ref>http://www.arn.org/docs/odesign/od181/methnat181.htm</ref>
The possibility of divine intervention in nature is not only neglected, but positively dismissed. <ref>"The methods of science, it is claimed, "give us no purchase" on theological propositions--even if the latter are true--and theology therefore cannot influence scientific explanation or theory justification.'' [http://www.arn.org/docs/odesign/od181/methnat181.htm Alvin Plantinga], Department of Philosophy, Decio Hall, University of Notre Dame </ref>

==Critique==

This kind of approach is the result of application of the [[epistemology]] of either of the [[empirical]] philosophies of [[pragmatism]] or [[logical positivism]], and (because it is a [[methodology]] developed without first establishing the [[ontological]] principles of the world) is unfounded.

This is the reason that [[Presuppositionalist Metaphysics|presuppositionalists]] do not subscribe to methodological naturalism, relying on the [[intelligent design]] Programme instead. Presuppositionalists also contend that methodological naturalism is inherently [[atheistic]], since it would be a meaningless exercise to define the rules of empirical inquiry in an entirely arbitrary manner. Since we define the rules of empirical inquiry in such a way that the ontological systematicness of the world is reflected in the method, the methodological naturalist's claim that methodological naturalism is independent of ontological naturalism is [[deceit|disingenuous]].

==Defense==
Defenders of methodological naturalism point out that it in no way requires or implies [[naturalism|philosophical naturalism]].

== External Links ==
*[http://www.arn.org/docs/odesign/od181/methnat181.htm Methodological Naturalism?] by [[Alvin Plantinga]]
*[http://www.arn.org/docs/odesign/od182/methnat182.htm Methodological Naturalism? Part 2] by [[Alvin Plantinga]]
*[http://www.asa3.org/ASA/topics/Philosophy/PSCF9-97Plantinga.html Methodological Naturalism?] by [[Alvin Plantinga]] - From Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 49 (September 1997): 143-154.
*[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1315 The Rules of the Game] by [[Carl Wieland]]

==Notes==

<references/>
[[category:philosophy]]

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Autonomy

Methodological naturalism