RE: Why methodological naturalism?

From: Glenn Morton (glenn.morton@btinternet.com)
Date: Wed Feb 13 2002 - 23:15:34 EST

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    Hi Burgy,

    >-----Original Message-----
    >From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu]On
    >Behalf Of John W Burgeson
    >Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 10:58 AM

    >My notes show that methodological naturalism was first expressed by
    >Epicurius as "in searching out nature, ascribe nothing to the gods." This
    >is a paraphrase from memory, BTW. It is cited by the writer Otto Strunk
    >in a fairly old book "On Atheism." Again, title from memory, it may be
    >simply "Atheism."

    I don't know about Epicurus but I had this in my notes which says the same
    thing:

    "'The ancients attributed earthquakes to supernatural causes. .
    .'-K. E. Bullen (An Introduction to the Theory of Seismology,
    Cambridge Unviersity Press, 3rd ed. 1963, p. 1)

    'It will help also to keep in mind that gods cause none of these
    things and that neither heaven nor earth is overturned by the
    wrath of divinities. These phenomena have causes of their own. .
    .'- Seneca (Natural Questions, Book 6.3, c. 62 A.D.).
                           . . .
    Since Bullen and Seneca cannot seem to agree on the subject (see
    quotes above), it may be worth our time to
    investigate."~Christopher L. Liner, "Seismos", The Leading Edge,
    July 1993, p. 782.

    glenn

    see http://www.glenn.morton.btinternet.co.uk/dmd.htm
    for lots of creation/evolution information
    anthropology/geology/paleontology/theology\
    personal stories of struggle



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