Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven?
canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?
Job 38:33
"What is a “scientist”? Why not ask the man who invented the word? William Whewell (pronounced Hyool) coined the term scientist as a replacement for natural philosopher in 1833. He himself was a scientist and a philosopher – and a theologian. He had, furthermore, a most interesting interaction with Charles Darwin. For chemists like Michael Faraday, he coined the words ion, anion, and cation; for physicists, the title physicist; and for geologists, the term catastrophism – which he defended against the views of Charles Lyell, which he called uniformitarianism. A respectful critic of Lyell, Whewell pointed out the lack of evidence for his geological and evolutionary views.
Whewell is more remembered today, however, for his philosophy of science. His two leading works
Whewell argued that science was a historical activity by the human mind. Its “truths,” therefore, could change over time. He cast doubt on the strict correspondence theory of scientific truth. Instead, he argued that scientific results are tentative and are judged by their utility, not their inherent objectivity. In this, his views differed sharply from those of the astronomer John Herschel who, like Bacon, envisioned science as a march of progress toward the light of truth. Whewell argued that the subjective human dimension of science can never be divorced from the objective, because everyone operates with presuppositions. He called these fundamental ideas - Of note for our purposes is this excerpt: “we are able to have knowledge of the world because the Fundamental Ideas which are used to organize our sciences resemble the ideas used by God in his creation of the physical world. The fact that this is so is no coincidence: God has created our minds such that they contain these same ideas.” Our ideas, therefore, are mere shadows of those in the mind of God.
Whewell was an Anglican clergyman almost all his life. One of his books argued against the existence of extraterrestrial life, contrary to popular assumptions at the time.
Charles Darwin cited a quote from this work in the frontispiece of The Origin of Species in an attempt to add credibility to his theory of natural selection. He quoted Whewell saying, “But with regard to the material world, we can at least go so far as this—we can perceive that events are brought about not by insulated interpositions of Divine power, exerted in each particular case, but by the establishment of general laws.” In Janet Browne’s extensive biography of Darwin, she claims that this quote was “audaciously taken out of context… suggesting that God worked through general scientific laws rather than through direct intervention” (Charles Darwin: The Power of Place, p. 80). The clear inference is that Whewell would never have condoned what Darwin was implying.(2)
In fact, on page 107, Browne refers to a contemporary anecdote that Whewell refused to allow The Origin in the Trinity College library.
And he criticized views of “transformism” (evolutionary common ancestry) and uniformitarianism based on the evidence.
He would strongly dispute the “warfare hypothesis” between science and religion. And he would recommend science as a means to glorify God and stimulate appreciation of His handiwork.
Even the Bible itself (Genesis 8:22, Job 38:33, Ecclesiastes 3:1) speaks of the uniformity of natural processes – that’s why miracles, when they occur, are so extraordinary and generate astonishment. No reputable Bible-believing creationist has claimed that nature requires ongoing intervention by God." CEV
