It is often found that what is obviously true, is actually false. It is obvious enough that the sun moves round the earth, but until this erroneous view was corrected, little progress could be made in the Science of Astronomy. It also happens occasionally, however, that what is obviously false turns out to be actually true. The thesis of this Paper might prove to be a case in point. While scientific knowledge is on the whole undoubtedly characterized by a progressive approach to ultimate reality, it has often proved most detrimental to the progress of understanding in the things which it has denied.
Scepticism is an essential element in the scientific method.
But in certain forms it can be very harmful. We cannot prove negatives as a rule, and therefore when we undertake to say what could not be, we are in fact merely expressing an opinion. But the public tends to feel our negative statements have the same kind of quality as our positive ones. There is a tendency in Christian circles among scientists to deny much real validity to those parts of Scripture which appear to encroach upon the domain of science. Yet they are surely intended to supply information where the possibility of finding it by any other means is slight - or virtually impossible.