How not to attack intelligent design creationism: Philosophical misconceptions about methodological naturalism

Foundations of Science

Volumn 15, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 227-244

  Boudry, Maarten ^a   Blancke, Stefaan ^a   Braeckman, Johan ^a  

^a GHENT UNIVERSITY   (Belgium)

Author keywords

Intelligent design creationism; Methodological naturalism; Science and religion; Scientific methodology; Supernatural explanations

Indexed keywords

INTELLIGENT DESIGNS; METHODOLOGICAL NATURALISM; SCIENCE AND RELIGION; SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY; SUPERNATURAL EXPLANATIONS;

DESIGN;

PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS;

EID: 77954031905     PISSN: 12331821     EISSN: 15728471     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s10699-010-9178-7     Document Type: Article

References (59)

1. Behe, M. J. (2006). Darwin's black box: The biochemical challenge to evolution (10th Anniversary Edition). New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
2. Benson H., Dusek J. A. et al (2006) Study of the therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients: A multicenter randomized trial of uncertainty and certainty of receiving intercessory prayer. American Heart Journal 151(4): 934-942.
3. Boudry, M. (2009). Methodological naturalism as an intrinsic property of science: Grist to the Mill of intelligent design theory. Paper presented at the conference "150 years after origin: Biological, historical and philosophical perspectives", November 2009, Toronto.
4. Boudry, M., & Braeckman, J. (2010). Immunizing strategies & epistemic defense mechanisms. Philosophia, doi: 10. 1007/s11406-010-9254-9.
5. Coyne, J. (2009). Seeing and believing. The never-ending attempt to reconcile science and religion, and why it is doomed to fail. New Republic, February 4. Retrieved 30/03/2009 from http://www. tnr. com/article/books/seeing-and-believing?page=2.
6. Darwin, C. (1965 (1872)). The expression of the emotions in man and animals. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
7. Darwin, C. (1998 (1859)). The origin of species. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
8. Darwin C. (2000) The life and letters of Charles Darwin (Vol. 2). Adamant Media Corporation, Boston, MA.
9. Dennett D. C. (1996) Darwin's dangerous idea: Evolution and the meanings of life. Simon and Schuster, New York, NY.
10. Dennett D. C. (2003) In Darwin's wake, where am I?. In: Hodge J., Radick G. (eds) The Cambridge companion to Darwin. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 393-412.
11. Edis T. (1998) Taking creationism seriously. Skeptic 6: 2-56.
12. Edis T. (2002) The ghost in the universe: God in light of modern science. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY.
13. Edis T. (2006) Grand themes, narrow constituency. In: Young M., Edis T. (eds) Why intelligent design fails: A scientific critique of the new creationism. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ, pp 9-19.
14. Forrest B. (2000) Methodological naturalism and philosophical naturalism: Clarifying the connection. Philo 3(2): 7-29.
15. Forrest B., Gross P. R. (2004) Creationism's Trojan horse: The wedge of intelligent design. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
16. Gish D. T. (1973) Evolution: The fossils say no!. Creation-Life Publishers, San Diego.
17. Haldane J. B. S. (1934) Fact and faith. Watts, London.
18. Haught J. F. (2000) God after Darwin: A theology of evolution. Westview Press, Boulder.
19. Haught J. F. (2004) Darwin, design, and divine providence. In: Ruse M., Dembski W. A. (eds) Debating design: From Darwin to DNA. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 229-245.
20. Hume, D. (2000 [1748]). An enquiry concerning human understanding. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
21. Hume, D. (2007 [1779]). Dialogues concerning natural religion and other writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
22. Humphrey N. (1996) Soul searching: Human nature and supernatural belief. Vintage, London.
23. Johnson P. E. (1993) Darwin on trial (2nd ed). InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL.
24. Johnson P. E. (2001) Evolution as Dogma: The establishment of naturalism. In: Pennock R. T. (eds) Intelligent design creationism and its critics: Philosophical, theological, and scientific perspectives. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp 59-76.
25. Kitzmiller v. Dover (400 F. Supp. 2nd 707 (M. D. Pa.) 2005).
26. Kitcher P. (2007) Living with Darwin: Evolution, design, and the future of faith. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York.
27. Koperski J. (2008) Two bad ways to attack intelligent design and two good ones. Zygon 43(2): 433-449.
28. Laudan L. (1996) The demise of the demarcation problem. In: Ruse M. (eds) But is it science? The philosophical question in the creation/evolution controversy. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, pp 337-350.
29. Lem S. (1999) A perfect vacuum. Northwestern University Press, Evanston.
30. Lewontin R. (1983) Introduction. In: Godfrey L. (eds) Scientists confront creationism. Norton, New York, pp xxiii-xxvi.
31. Lewontin R. (1997) Billions and billions of demons. Book review of 'The Demon-Haunted world: Science as a candle in the dark' by Carl Sagan. The New York Review of Books 44(1): 31.
32. Macbeth N. (1974) Darwin retried: An appeal to reason. Garnstone Press, London.
33. Maienschein J. (2007) Untangling debates about science and religion. In: Comfort N. C. (eds) The panda's black box: Opening up the intelligent design controversy. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, pp 83-108.
34. McGinn C. (1994) The problem of philosophy. Philosophical Studies 76(2): 133-156.
35. Miller K. B. (2009) The misguided attack on methodological naturalism. In: Schneiderman J. S., Allmon W. D. (eds) For the rock record: Geologists on intelligent design. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, pp 117-140.
36. Miller K. R. (2000) Finding Darwin's God: A scientist's search for common ground between God and evolution. HarperCollins, New York, NY.
37. National Academy of Sciences: (1998) Teaching about evolution and the nature of science. National Academy Press, Washington DC.
38. Nelson P. A. (1996) The role of theology in current evolutionary reasoning. [Article]. Biology & Philosophy 11(4): 493-517.
39. Pennock R. T. (1999) Tower of Babel: The evidence against the new creationism. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
40. Pennock R. T. (2007) God of the gaps: The argument from ignorance and the limits of methodological naturalism. In: Petto A. J., Godfrey L. R. (eds) Scientists Confront Intelligent Design and Creationism. New York & London, WW Norton & Company, pp 309-338.
41. Pigliucci M. (2002) Denying evolution: Creationism, scientism, and the nature of science. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA.
42. Plantinga A. (2001) Methodological naturalism?. In: Pennock R. T. (eds) Intelligent design creationism and its critics: Philosophical, theological, and scientific perspectives. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp 339-361.
43. Richter R. (2002) What science can and cannot say: The problems with methodological naturalism. Reports of the National Center for Science Education 22(1-2): 18-22.
44. Ruse M. (1982) Darwinism defended: A guide to the evolution controversies. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.
45. Ruse M. (2004) The argument from design: A brief history. In: Dembski W. A., Ruse M. (eds) Debating design: From Darwin to DNA. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 13-31.
46. Ruse M. (2005) Methodological naturalism under attack. South African Journal of Philosophy 24(1): 44-61.
47. Ruse M. (2006) Darwinism and its discontents. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
48. Sarkar S. (2007) Doubting Darwin? Creationist designs on evolution. Blackwell, Malden, MA.
49. Schafersman, S. D. (1997). Naturalism is an essential part of science and critical inquiry. Retrieved 30/03/2009, from http://www. freeinquiry. com/naturalism. html.
50. Scott E. C. (1998) Two kinds of materialism: Keeping them separate makes faith and science compatible. Free Inquiry 18: 20-20.
51. Scott E. C. (1999) The 'Science and religion' movement. An opportunity for improved public understanding of science?. Skeptical Inquirer 23(4): 29-31.
52. Scott E. C. (2004) Evolution vs. creationism: An introduction. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
53. Shanks N. (2004) God, the devil, and Darwin: A critique of intelligent design theory. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
54. Smith K. C. (2001) Appealing to ignorance behind the cloak of ambiguity. In: Pennock R. T. (eds) Intelligent design creationism and its critics: Philosophical, theological, and scientific perspectives. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp 705-735.
55. Sober E. (2008) Evidence and evolution: The logic behind the science. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
56. Stenger V. J. (2008) God: The failed hypotheis: How science shows that God does not exist. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY.
57. Strahler A. N. (1992) Understanding science: An introduction to concepts and issues. Prometheus Books, Buffalo.
58. Swinburne R. (2004) The existence of God. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
59. Worrall J. (2004) Science discredits religion. In: Peterson M. L., VanArragon R. J. (eds) Contemporary debates in philosophy of religion. Blackwell, Malden, MA, pp 59-71.