Tag: religion

Science

Weather vane

Science was the authority in the modern world.  People would try to prove their points by referring to science, even when there is no supporting evidence.  Unfortunately, many people really do not understand what science is, and others use the word to deceive.  Today in the postmodern world, science does not have the same authority, because each person is his own authority.  Today, each person decides what facts they want to believe, and what facts they do not want to believe. Reason and rational critical thinking have taken a back seat to one’s own feelings.

Science is a discipline that builds and organizes knowledge about the universe. Modern science has two major branches: the natural sciences, which study the physical world, and the social sciences, which study individuals and societies. Some include a third branch called “formal sciences” which includes mathematics and logic, but this branch does not use the scientific method, so I would not include it. I would say the “formal sciences” are part of the foundation of science.

Science uses the scientific method.  It can vary a little but scientists tend to follow these steps. 

  1. Make observations;
  2. Research the topic and develop questions;
  3. Formulate hypothesis for determining the cause;
  4. Test the hypothesis by making testable predictions;
  5. Collect and analyze the observations;
  6. Develop conclusions based on the evidence;
  7. If the data support the hypothesis then consider refining the hypothesis and returning to step 4.
  8. If the data do not support the hypothesis then reject the hypothesis and return to step 1.
  9. Publish the hypothesis and the results so that others can learn and replicate the results.

Note the scientific method does not prove anything to be true.  Instead the scientific method is about proving things false.  That said, there are hypotheses that have stood the test of time over and over again that are considered to be true.  Newton’s Laws, which are used everyday and have been used for centuries, can be considered facts, but even Newton’s Laws needed to be refined after some observations were found in some special cases.  Newton’s Laws were refined by Einstein with his Theory of Relativity.  (The refinement does not affect our everyday use of Newton’s Laws.)

Science works because we have a God who is consistent and rational in his actions.  On rare occasions, God may do something out of the ordinary and those occasions are known as supernatural events.  Science needs to ignore the existence of God, because if I drop a pencil the pencil will go wherever God wants it to go, but the fact that God is consistent and rational means we can assume the pencil will fall to the ground.  This means science is not at odds with God. It also means that science has a limited view of reality.  Science cannot see the supernatural.

And it needs to be noted that science describes the how and not the why something happens.  We usually equate the how to the why and that is useful but it is not totally accurate.  On earth a falling apple may be increasing its downward speed at 9.8 meters per second for every second (due to gravity), but that is describing how the apple is falling and not why the apple is falling. (John was mad and threw the apple over the cliff.)

Some people say they believe in science and not in God. They are not understanding what science is.  They may be believing the philosophies of scientism or methodological naturalism, but it is more likely they have created their own philosophy of life and have pulled in the parts of science they like into their worldview.  This is more true today in our postmodern society than it was in the modern era.  People today are less likely to acknowledge the findings of science they disagree with, because they are their own authority.

We are not rational people, not anymore (if we were ever all that rational).  A Barna survey showed that most Americans base truth on their feelings.  A Gallup survey says 70% of our decisions are based on emotions and only 30% of decisions are rational. (Think of the automobile ads on TV.  They play to your emotions without giving you any specs.)  Science belongs to the modern era, so in the postmodern era science will have a smaller role in society. Today the modern “Rational Human” is being replaced by the postmodern “Self-Determined Human”.

Divisions

Living Network 2 (Peter Farkas Photo)

America is very divided politically. I believe this is different from the cultural divisions of worldviews.  A version of the Christian worldview used to be the dominant worldview in America. Today, prevalent in America, there are several variations of the critical theory worldview (with expressive individualism mixed in).  And today both political liberals and conservatives use the critical theory framework to promote their agendas.

Critical theory states that there are unfair oppressive structures in society, and thus there are people being oppressed or in other words victims.  Critical theory states these various forms of oppression are what is wrong in the world and its goal is to liberate us from the oppression.  Some of the more common variations of critical theory are critical race theory, feminism, queer theory, and postcolonialism.  You can especially see critical theory in action with the agendas found in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Movement.  This has been part of a big push by the political liberals. 

But the political conservatives use the same critical theory framework.  The oppressive structures are instead the mainstream media, the deep state government, and other concerns, like voting. So the conservatives see different structures that are oppressing America and making us victims of the current power structures. Donald Trump is big in promoting the oppressive nature of these so-called liberal power structures, and in this current election cycle with his legal troubles he is especially promoting the idea that he is the victim and that he is taking the “attacks” for us. I believe this critical theory framework is one of the main reasons he has been able to resonate with so many voters because critical theory is already embedded in today’s culture.

“Wait, wait”, you say, “there is some truth in what they say”.  Yes, there is some truth found in both the liberal and conservative statements.  But note that every good lie has a kernel of truth.  I believe the framework of critical theory twists the truth and makes it divisive. It ends up being less than the whole truth.

You need to be aware that critical theory’s way of thinking in terms of oppression is the dominant way of thinking in today’s culture. You still need to acknowledge the truth found in the twisted statements, but only the truth.  You especially need to avoid using the critical theory framework.  It is divisive. It is not an us versus them (the enemy and the oppressor) situation.  There is really only one enemy.  His name is Satan.

The Christian asks how I can help and make the situation better. The Christian realizes that it is not an us versus them situation, because we are all sinners in need of a Savior.  We need to, as much as possible, work together and not be divisive. We are to be generous, kind, and gracious in our speech.  We do not lie, but we speak the truth in love.  We do everything from an attitude of love, wanting the best for the other person. The Christian Faith is about reconciliation and forgiveness, first with God, but also with our fellow human beings.  Critical theory is about justice and fairness, whereas Christianity has justice with mercy.  Relationships cannot be restored with only justice.  Mercy and forgiveness is needed to end the divisions and restore healthy relationships.

I believe the political dysfunction in Congress and throughout American politics is due in part to critical theory thinking.  Avoid it!