re-imagining science

Before we get going we should probably clarify some things. As a start we need to be clear what we mean by ‘science’. For sake of argument, let’s identify four things people can have in mind when they talk about science.

The first is ‘the scientific method’, assuming, of course, that we can pin this down; we’ll leave the definition vague for now and just take it to be the practical constraints/practices/tools/etc. that make this activity unique.

The second is a step up from this: ‘science as cultural enterprise’, i.e. the thing scientists do; the investigation of the world around us, etc.

Third, ‘the products of science’, the ideas & theories that result (and, in common view at least, technology; though how closely technology & science can be tied is open to debate).

And fourth, ‘science as worldview/dominant cultural force’; by which I mean the whole naturalistic perspective underpinned by the view that ‘science is the only true source of knowledge’.

Of course, these are definitions are in no way completely independent. For instance, the first two couldn’t really exist without each other; they are perhaps the internal and external aspects of the same activity. As another example, science-as-worldview is built on a notion of the scientific method being the only way to truth and is validated by the success of science-as-cultural-enterprise. So, the borders are fuzzy, but I think we have to be as clear as possible if we going to make sense of things.

It seems to me that problems arise when we make no distinctions at all. So, for instance, we never get to discussing Christianity and science-as-cultural-enterprise (e.g., what is the purpose of science, how should it be carried out, etc.), because we never get past the issues brought up by the supposed clash of ‘worldviews’.

Of course, this example is really the concern that I started with in my first post. The definitions above help us tie it down further. The question is: how does science-as-cultural-enterprise fit into the Christian story? I’m sure this will involve discussions of ‘scientific method’ and will probably wander into critiques of science-as-worldview, but this is the thought behind everything else. We’ll see how it goes…