Creationist Logic
Got an interesting email today:
I asked this friend, “Did you write the above message? Your name is on it, so it’s a reasonable inference that you wrote it. How can you prove to me you wrote it, though? You can compile external evidence: Where you were 48 minutes ago, examples of your writing style, external witnesses, etc. While we make the reasonable inference that Bible was ultimately authored by God, because He claims responsibility for it, we also have external evidence. History, archeology, a consistent message, personal testimony, etc. all testify to the accuracy of a book authored by an infallible source.
Anyway, here’s my response in kind:
EDIT: I updated this diagram the day after it was posted in response to Boz’s critique.
Comments
Comment from Thomas
Time: April 15, 2010, 10:55 am
Maybe the diagram is too simplistic. The questions should run like this: “How can we be sure that man evolved by naturalistic processes? Science tells us man evolved from naturalistic processes. How can we be sure science is accurate on that point? Science only allows naturalistic processes.” Anyway, I updated it, so thanks for the critique.
Here’s an interesting point, though. On the picture that I made, when the question is asked, “How can we be certain that science is accurate,” a reasonable person would cite all the visible evidence and the interpretations of that evidence by a knowledgeable community. The idea that science only allows naturalistic processes is a very broad summary based on the majority of scientific interpretations, a summary that has become science’s primary philosophical presupposition.
On the first picture, when asked, “Why believe the Bible,” a reasonable person would cite the evidence and the interpretations of that evidence by a knowledgeable community. That the Bible is infallible is not only a broad summary based on centuries of investigation, it is a presupposition based on the claims in the book itself.
The crucial difference is that evolution science’s primary presupposition is based on what we don’t know, while creation science’s primary presupposition is based on what we do know.
Comment from Boz
Time: April 15, 2010, 2:50 am
you answered the question “how can we be certain that science is accurate?” incorrectly.