Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Creation Moment 9/18/2018 - Scientism Fails

And the LORD God formed man... and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:7
Merriam-Webster defines "scientism" in part as being
an exaggerated trust in the efficacy of the methods of natural science
applied to all areas of investigation (as in philosophy, the social sciences, and the humanities).
 
"A notable Christian author and physicist who has often spoken at universities on the issue of science and faith has stated that a science-only worldview is not practical.


Ian Hutchinson, plasma physicist and Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explained the shortcomings of scientism in an interview with The Veritas Forum.

The scientist argued that scientism is a widely-held "erroneous belief" that fails in part because science is inherently incapable of proving the existence of various "intangibles of this world."
"It doesn't prove there's such a thing as justice or mercy or love and yet those are realities in our world that we all recognize and consider to be very important," said Hutchinson.

Hutchinson also critiqued scientism by noting that many major figures in the history of science were also devout Christians, which meant that they did not adhere to scientism.

"They certainly believed that much of what we know comes from sources outside of science ... they were people who believed in miracles, by-and-large. At the very least, they believed in the miracle of the Resurrection."
CP