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Title |
Author |
Date |
No Supernatural Causes |
Gaudia, Gil |
Sep 28, 2005 |
Eric Murphy makes a good point in pointing out that God, ghosts and any "supernatural" phenomena can not exist in a natural world, i.e., that they are examples of as yet not explained phenomena. I would add one other point--that "supernatural" phenomena would not contain mass or energy (otherwise they would be natural phenomena)and so they could not interact with natural phenomena. How could God cause a mechanical system like a living body to change unless God was made of and employed mass or energy to bring about the change? What would the interface between the "supernatural" and the natural consist of? |
Title |
Author |
Date |
Excellent Point |
Strumfels, David |
Sep 28, 2005 |
Very much enjoyed this essay, which demonstrates a critical point: if IDers truly were interested in science, they could formulate their ideas into a set of testable, scientifically meaningful hypotheses. The fact that they do not do so, that they are only trying to hide (their particular) religious beliefs under a pseudo-scientific cloak, needs to be stressed more, especially in court cases.
Only quibble is with the conservation of mass-energy being a genuine natural law. As I understand quantum mechanics, violations of this law are allowed, albeit over only very short time spans -- this follows from the Uncertainty Principle. Hence the "quantum foam" of classically empty space. Which actually illustrates another point: scientists can and do revise their doctrines about how nature works, when and if the evidence warrants it. They are not, ID accusations and insinuations to the contrary, blind dogmatists. If IDers really were onto something, scientists would modify or reject evolution accordingly. Relativity and quantum mechanics show this openness in action. |
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