Chapter 7.1 : Western Science: This session covers the following content: Ground Zero = Welt-Bild (Worldview) Life experiences, environment, and culture shape worldview. Western Cultural Tendencies: - Separation of Natural and Supernatural - Closed System (Self-contained) - Emphasis on Autonomy - Competition-driven mindset From Bryan Magee's The Story of Philosophy: Early Western philosophers broke from religious and traditional authority, relying instead on reason and logic to understand the world. Core Insight: Western thought is rooted in the belief that internal human reason is sufficient for understanding reality—a closed system that separates the natural from the supernatural.
Chapter 7.2 : Western Science: This session covers the following content: Core Pillars of Naturalism (According to Steven D. Schafersman) Framed by Human Logic/Reason within a Closed System: Only the Natural Domain Exists – Reality is limited to the natural domain; the supernatural is excluded. The Cosmos Is Entirely Natural – Everything in the universe is composed solely of natural elements. The Cosmos Operates by Natural Processes – No supernatural intervention; natural laws govern all functions. God (Biblical or Otherwise) Cannot Exist – The existence of any deity is logically incompatible with a naturalistic, closed system. These beliefs reflect a foundational philosophical naturalism that underpins modern science.
Chapter 7.3 : Western Science: This session covers the following content: Second Floor: Western Natural Philosophy – - A Theoretical System of Thought A theory functions as a grid or lens through which we interpret the world. - Western = Shaped by cultural tendencies of the West - Natural = Focuses exclusively on the natural domain as defining reality. Three Pillars/Methods of Western Natural Philosophy: - Rationalism – Knowledge begins with hypothesis and logical reasoning - Empiricism – Tested by observation and sensory experience - Skepticism – Questions and refines conclusions through doubt and repetition These three methods converged in the 19th century to form the Scientific Method: Scientific Method = Hypothesis (Rationalism) → Observation (Empiricism) → Revision (Skepticism) Nietzsche's Reflection “It is not the victory of science that distinguishes our nineteenth century, but the victory of the Scientific Method over science.” — Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Power (Sec. 466)
Chapter 7.4 : Western Science: This session covers the following content: Third Floor: Scientific Model – Western Natural Evolutionary Science Built upon the earlier philosophical and methodological foundations (First and Second Floors). This level represents the product of Western natural thought: evolutionary science. Historical Roots: Ancient Greek Philosophers and the Natural Evolutionary Origin of Life As chronicled by Henry Fairfield Osborn in From the Greeks to Darwin (1894) Thales of Miletus (640–546 B.C.) – First to seek natural explanations instead of myths – Believed water was the origin of all life Anaximander (611–547 B.C.) – Earth began in a fluid state – Life began in the sea; humans evolved from aquatic forms Anaximenes (588–524 B.C.) – Life arose from primordial slime (earth + water) under the sun’s heat Xenophanes (576–480 B.C.) – Life began via spontaneous generation through sun-warmed earth Empedocles (495–435 B.C.) – Early proto-evolutionary thought: Life evolved gradually = Plants before animals; Imperfect forms replaced by perfect ones; Extinction as a natural filter Modern Scientific Response to Ancient Ideas: Louis Pasteur (1859) – Disproved spontaneous generation through controlled experiments (S-shaped flasks) – Declared it a scientifically dead theory Friedrich Engels (Dialectics of Nature) – Argued that experiments alone can’t disprove belief in spontaneous generation Richard Dawkins – Acknowledges the improbability of life’s natural spontaneous origin, yet he believes it happened. Big Picture: Western Natural Evolutionary Science is the end product of a long philosophical and scientific tradition that: Replaces authority and tradition with reason and observation; Builds on natural explanations; Culminates in Darwinian evolution and modern biology.
Chapter 7.5 : Western Science: This session covers the following content: Scientific Worldview – Core Resources and Conclusions Key Resources (Pillars of the Model): Pillar #1: Matter + Energy – The physical components of all existence Pillar #2: Time + Chance – The mechanisms through which complexity and life are believed to arise Third Floor: Scientific Model Built Upon These Resources Matter + Energy + Time + Chance = - Origin of the Universe → The Big Bang - Origin of Life → Spontaneous Generation (life from non-life) - Origin of Man → Evolution from primates (Old World Monkey lineage) Final Conclusion of the Model: No Supernatural Elements Exist Therefore, no Creator God (including the God of the Bible) exists. This is a naturalistic, closed-system worldview where all things are explained without reference to the divine or supernatural. Naturalistic Foundation (Worldview) → Methods (Human Reasoning) → Model (Naturalistic Science) → Conclusion (No God) → Reflects Foundational Belief = Circular Reasoning
Chapter 7.6 : Western Science: This session covers the following content: Conclusion of the Western Naturalistic Scientific Model: The Supernatural Domain Does Not Exist — Therefore, a Creator God Cannot Exist. This conclusion is rooted in foundational beliefs about what constitutes reality. Richard Dawkins: “The question of whether there exists a Super-Natural Creator, a God, is one of the most important that we have to answer. I think that it is a scientific question. My answer is no.” “The Darwinian world-view... is the only known theory that could, in principle, solve the mystery of our existence.” (The Blind Watchmaker, p. xiv) Stephen Jay Gould: “First facts do not come to us as objective items... Theory, habit, prejudice, and culture all influence the facts we choose to observe and the way in which we perceive them.” Summary Insight: The denial of the supernatural and thus the nonexistence of God within this worldview is not simply the result of observation, but the outcome of starting assumptions — particularly the belief that: Only the natural domain exists (#1 foundational belief). This worldview is self-reinforcing: its conclusions logically follow from its premises.