The debate over creation and evolution seems to be one area where faith and reason are at odds in our society. Can they be reconciled? Where else do faith and reason come into conflict?
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Anonymous
said...
I see three separate viewpoints in regard to the world's beginning: Creationism, Evolution, and Intelligent Design. Before we can even get into the theories, though, there has to be an understanding of the limitations of science, theology, and philosophy. Science is limited by the human senses, while theology and philosophy are limited by human reason. Science cannot inform us about the supernatural. Philosphy is useless if it does not follow the dictates of logic. So into what realm does the earth's beginning fall? Clearly the idea of evolution is in the realm of science. The idea of creationism that the scriptural account of creation is true in spite of observable data is illogical and so falls out of the realm of true philosophy or science. Intelligent design straddles the fence. It takes observable data about the complexity of the universe and proposes a solution. Intelligent Design is really very simple. It asks, "What are the odds that random chance, inorganic matter, and genetic mutation resulted in highly intelligent life?" The answer is of course that the odds are very small. Then we propose the odds that there is a "God" that created everything. I'll ignore any evidence that God exists and say that there is a 50% chance. Those are much better odds than the alternative. Intelligent design in its scientific form does not draw any conclusions about what God is like. That's the realm of philosophy/theology. It also does not deny the possibility of evolution in its scientific form. It merely denies that the theory of evolution has anything to do with whether or not there is a God. Science can never answer that question, since it goes beyond the human senses to answer. Ultimately, if faith and reason both know their limitations, there is no conflict them.
1 comment:
I see three separate viewpoints in regard to the world's beginning: Creationism, Evolution, and Intelligent Design. Before we can even get into the theories, though, there has to be an understanding of the limitations of science, theology, and philosophy. Science is limited by the human senses, while theology and philosophy are limited by human reason. Science cannot inform us about the supernatural. Philosphy is useless if it does not follow the dictates of logic. So into what realm does the earth's beginning fall? Clearly the idea of evolution is in the realm of science. The idea of creationism that the scriptural account of creation is true in spite of observable data is illogical and so falls out of the realm of true philosophy or science. Intelligent design straddles the fence. It takes observable data about the complexity of the universe and proposes a solution. Intelligent Design is really very simple. It asks, "What are the odds that random chance, inorganic matter, and genetic mutation resulted in highly intelligent life?" The answer is of course that the odds are very small. Then we propose the odds that there is a "God" that created everything. I'll ignore any evidence that God exists and say that there is a 50% chance. Those are much better odds than the alternative. Intelligent design in its scientific form does not draw any conclusions about what God is like. That's the realm of philosophy/theology. It also does not deny the possibility of evolution in its scientific form. It merely denies that the theory of evolution has anything to do with whether or not there is a God. Science can never answer that question, since it goes beyond the human senses to answer. Ultimately, if faith and reason both know their limitations, there is no conflict them.
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