Naturalism and the success of science

Methodological naturalism is usually regarded as compatible with a range of religious commitments on the part of scientific practitioners and it is typically assumed that methodological naturalism does not imply metaphysical naturalism. Against this, it has been argued that the cumulative success of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Harrison, Peter 1955- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Cambridge Univ. Press [2020]
In: Religious studies
Year: 2020, Volume: 56, Issue: 2, Pages: 274-291
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Naturalism (Philosophy) / Natural sciences
RelBib Classification:AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism
VA Philosophy
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
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Summary:Methodological naturalism is usually regarded as compatible with a range of religious commitments on the part of scientific practitioners and it is typically assumed that methodological naturalism does not imply metaphysical naturalism. Against this, it has been argued that the cumulative success of the sciences, conducted in conformity with the principle of methodological naturalism, actually provides compelling evidence for the truth of metaphysical naturalism. In this article I assess the argument for naturalism from the history of science and suggest that it is deficient in a number of ways. There may be reasons for adopting naturalism, but the history of science is not the place to look for them.
ISSN:1469-901X
Contains:Enthalten in: Religious studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S0034412518000574