[asa] What is natural science?

Perhaps natural science is distinguished from other fields of knowledge
in that natural scientists attempt to explain why things happen via
causes that operate consistently, can be manipulated (i.e. selectively
combined with other causes), and measured.
 
Experiments in the natural sciences test understandings of how causes
operate by combining causes (perhaps in a novel way), predicting
outcomes, measuring actual outcomes, comparing the actual with the
predicted, modifying the understandings to match actual outcomes,
combining causes in a new way and predicting new outcomes, etc.
 
Scientific explanations of past events can be fully scientific, if the
explanations employ causes that can be tested. Reproducing the
historical event is not absolutely necessary, as long as the causes can
be tested.
 
Under this definition, the humanities (art, history, theology,
literature, languages, philosophy) would differ from the natural
sciences in that the humanities' explanations invoke personal agents who
act freely and possibly inconsistently and who might not be
manipulatable or even measurable. Note, however, that certain
humanities explanations are quite objective and rational. In fact, I
personally think that mathematics is closer to philosophy than it is to
natural science, though both natural sciences and social sciences are
very dependent upon mathematical tools.
 
Under this definition, explanations in the social sciences (economics,
psychology, sociology, anthropology) blend natural science explanations
and humanities explanations.
 
Natural science encounters limits not only when dealing with free
personal agents, but also when dealing with any (even impersonal)
entities that behave inconsistently (unpredictable, random, chance, etc.
events). However, if by combining a sufficient number of such events a
consistent pattern emerges, then the explanation of that pattern is
still scientific (e.g., gas laws, radioactive decay, diffraction of
photons passing through parallel slits, etc. ). Of course, below or
beyond the aforementioned limit, questions and answers would go beyond
science (e.g., are quantum events caused or uncaused?). Metaphysics is
distinct from natural science. By the way, I share Poe and Mytyk's
preference for wanting natural science to be "metaphysically neutral"
(see the Sept. 2007 issue of Perspectives on Science and Christian
Faith), whether or not one thinks the term "methodological naturalism"
works in practice (Poe and Mytyk think it does not).

Natural science also encounters practical limits when the complexity and
subtlety of the causes exceeds our ability to measure and integrate them
(e.g. meteorology, evolution). Thus it may be impossible to reproduce,
even theoretically, past weather events or past evolutionary
trajectories. But notice that meteorology and biological evolution are
still natural sciences, because their identified underlying causes
(though unrealistically oversimplified when only a few are isolated and
manipulated) do appear to operate consistently, can be manipulated, and
can be measured.

Nothing profound here. Just my way of understanding what natural
science is. Cheers!
 
Charles (Chuck) F. Austerberry, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
Hixson-Lied Room 438
Creighton University
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE 68178
Phone: 402-280-2154
Fax: 402-280-5595
e-mail: cfauster@creighton.edu
Nebraska Religious Coalition for Science Education
http://nrcse.creighton.edu
 

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Received on Mon Sep 17 20:19:42 2007