Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke famously proposed three so-called laws that memorably capture the wonder of scientific advance. According to the third law, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” If that’s true, science has made the world a truly magical place. And it is true. Just think how an iPhone would appear […]
science
Thoughts on The Martian
A couple weeks ago I saw The Martian and I’m telling you, it’s out of this world. (Yes, it’s true. I began a serious review with a pun that Henny Youngman wouldn’t deign to use.) But don’t let that awful opening line throw you. I loved this movie. It’s got all the right elements of a […]
A day after Pluto, a look back at the Pale Blue Dot
The other day I picked up Carl Sagan’s classic 1994 book Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space at a used bookstore. (“Used bookstore” is my euphemism for the bookshelf at the back of our neighborhood Goodwill.) It’s been a great read, both for Sagan’s mellifluous prose and the time-stamped nature […]
Are we there yet? The long journey to Pluto
This summer, parents around the world are going to endure that familiar whine from the backseat: are we there yet? At those moments just be thankful that your road trip is not as long as the journey of the New Horizons probe to humble Pluto. Here is a great website for the probe with the latest […]
Science is no substitute for religion: A Reader’s Journey Through God or Godless (Part 7)
In chapter 5 of God or Godless I take the lead with the following debate resolution: “Science is no substitute for religion.” Of course, it’s also true that religion is no substitute for science. Each area of enquiry has its respective domain. Just as physics, geology or meteorology will not answer the question “How shall […]
Intelligent Design and Astrology
Yesterday in the discussion for my article “The Anthropocentrism Switcheroo“, I made the following comment: “Everybody’s interested in how some words are defined. Like most scientists, Tyson is very interested to defend a particular definition of “science” … and to ensure that dissonant definitions like that assumed by ID are excluded.” This prompted Andy Schueler […]
Are We Alone? How Nova gets the ultimate question wrong (and why it matters)
The other day I was watching an episode of the PBS program Nova titled “Alien Planets Revealed”. The episode began in grand fashion as the narrator set up the search for earth-like planets and the life that may exist on them. Eventually the program introduction built up to the following dramatic conclusion: Whoa, this […]
64. Michael Rea on Naturalism
Some days it seems like just about everybody wants to be a naturalist. And I’m not talking about folks who drive a Prius and shop at Whole Foods and listen to John Denver. In this context, “naturalist” seems to flag some sort of commitment to atheism, secularism, and/or science. But just what is naturalism exactly, and […]
57. Terry Mortenson on Creationism
When I was in high school I gave my science teacher a copy of Paul Ackerman’s book It’s a Young World After All. The book aimed to show that evolution was false and the earth was a mere six to ten thousand years old. My science teacher politely received the gift and then, for all I […]
56. Deborah Haarsma on BioLogos, God, and Evolution
For many people today, the relationship between science and religion or theology can be summarized in one word: “conflict”. While conflicts inevitably do arise, there are many Christians who believe that a more helpful framework for conceiving the relations between science and theology is one of harmony. In this episode of the Tentative Apologist Podcast […]
Lawrence Krauss believes religion might disappear in a generation
Atheist and theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss recently opined in an interview that religion could be gone in a generation. Consider his reasoning in support of this staggering conclusion (as quoted in the above-linked Salon.com article): “This issue of gay marriage, it is going to go away, because if you’re a a child, a 13-year-old, they […]
Science and religion: Are they really in conflict? Yeah, sometimes.
I mentioned in my last post that I participated in a panel discussion following a simulcast of the Discovery Institute sponsored event “Science and Faith: Are They Really in Conflict?“. While I enjoyed the simulcast (John Lennox and Stephen Meyer are both bright, engaging speakers), I did have some quibbles. I noted one of them […]
From weak scientism to atheism? “WIBA”: A Review (Part 15)
The sun rises and sets, people busy themselves with the tasks of life, wars are fought, dreams are crushed, love is born … and yet another installment of my review of John Loftus, Why I Became an Atheist, is completed and presented to a waiting world. In this installment we take a look at chapter […]
Scientism and Metaphysics-of-the-Gaps
In this article I am going to address the concept of “God-of-the-gaps”. Any person who spends any time reading in the theology/science literature will find that the term God-of-the-gaps is often wielded as a sort of accusation. In other words, people don’t typically accept God-of-the-gaps. Instead, they accuse others of falling into the God-of-the-gap-trap (aka […]
