Claim CA321:
Scientists are motivated to support naturalism and reject nonnaturalistic
ideas, such as creationism.
Response:
- This claim is easily disproved by the fact that many scientists are
strongly religious, having adopted nonnaturalistic ideas in their
private lives.
- Although motives in any large group are going to differ from person to
person, the most common motive that makes people become scientists is
curiosity. It has nothing to do with supporting naturalism.
- Within the practice of science, there is not anything suggesting
naturalism as a goal. The main motives are curiosity, professional
pride, and material rewards. Pride enters because scientists must make
their work available for all to see, so they want it to look good, and
in particular they are motivated to do work that can withstand
challenges. Material awards come mainly in the form of applying for
funding, which means satisfying the funding agencies, which usually
means the research must have some promise for practical value.
- Although naturalism is not a motive for most scientists, its rejection
is an explicit motive for most science pursued by antievolutionists.
For example, the faculty and students of the Institute for Creation
Research Graduate School subscribe to a statement of faith in biblical
inerrancy and antievolution (ICR 2000). Jonathan Wells pursued a
biology degree in order to discredit evolution (Wells n.d.). He did
so at the urging of Reverend Moon, whom Wells sees as the second coming
of Christ (Wells 1991). William Dembski also sees religious
motivation as paramount (Dembski and Richards 2001). The "overthrow of
materialism" is the motivating basis for the Wedge Strategy, which is
the operating principle for the intelligent design movement (CRSC
1998).
Perhaps when creationists claim that scientists are operating under
ulterior motives, they are merely projecting how they themselves
operate.
Links:
Isaak, Mark, 2002. A philosophical premise of 'naturalism'?
http://www.talkdesign.org/faqs/naturalism.html
References:
created 2001-2-17