Sárospataki Füzetek 14. (2010)

2010 / 1. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Byl, John: Világnézetek háborúja: a keresztyénség és kihívói.

BYL, JOHN

the most casual matters of geography and history to the profoundest laws of atomic physics or even of pure mathematics and logic, is a man-made fabric which impinges on experience only along the edges.6

This brings us to the question, how should we choose scientific theories? Which competing theory is most likely to be correct? We might prefer the simplest (or most useful, or most beautiful, etc.) theory. However, this raises the further question: how do we know that simple theories are more likely to be true? This is just an assumption reflecting how we think about the world. Ultimately, we have no certain means of separating true theories from false ones. We choose theories that fit in best with our worldview—our most basic assumptions about the world (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Factors that determine our choice of scientific theories.

Thus, in science, only the actual observational data can be accepted as scientific facts. Once we try to explain and extend such facts we must rely on theories, our choice of which will be largely determined by our prior worldview commitments.

Science and origins

Note, in passing, that this has some implications for debates about origins. Since all scientific observations are made at the present time, any conclusions about origins must rely on theory. There were scientists present at the beginning, so only God knows what really happened. The origins debate is thus not about facts, but their proper interpretation. Here it is not a case of science versus Christianity but, rather, a case of naturalist explanations versus Christian explanations.

What is a Worldview?

Thus far I have stressed the importance of worldviews in interpreting scientific data. Now we shall examine more closely the question of what a worldview is. Our worldview is our way of looking at the world and making sense of it. It consists of

6 Quine, Willard V.O.: Theories and Things. Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1981. 30 SÁROSPATAKI FÜZETEK