Title: Science's Blind Spot
First published: 2007
Description: With the rise in prominence of the Intelligent Design movement (along with its vehement critics), the debate over origins increasingly plays itself out in the scientific community, the courts, the school boards, and the media. A traditional argument of proponents of evolution is that science in general, and evolution in particular, is empirically based, free from any religious or philosophical underpinnings. It follows, then, that science is a more trustworthy perspective on reality. In this thought-provoking book, Cornelius Hunter turns that argument on its head. Through a study of the history of thought, he shows that in fact, modern science has been greatly influenced by theological and metaphysical considerations. This has resulted in the significant influence of what he calls "theological naturalism." Thus, naturalism is not a result of empirical scientific inquiry, but rather a presupposition of science. This bias is science's "blind spot," and it has profound implications for how scientific theories are evaluated and thus advanced or suppressed. In the end, Hunter proposes a better way--moderate empiricism--and shows how intelligent design fits into such a method. Science's Blind Spot provides food for thought for anyone interested in the intersection between scientific and religious thought. - Publisher.
Subjects: Religion and science, Religious aspects, Naturalism
LC classification: BL