Method in Our Science

1 Thessalonians 5:21
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

Science has an elevated position in Western society. There are those who would try to put Christians down, by saying “You have faith, but I have science”. Science, in the abstract, is therefore assumed to be the ultimate truth, and the universal standard, against which everything must be tested.

This, it is suggested, is because science is tested. As a high school science teacher, I would suggest to my students that scientific processes could develop as follows: The problem to be investigated is stated.  A hypothesis is then developed, which seems to explain this problem, and accompanying observations. After this, an investigation—often by experiment—is designed to test the hypothesis. For this to occur, the hypothesis must be testable, and, indeed, falsifiable. To say that a hypothesis is falsifiable does not imply that it is, or even could be, false. It simply means that it is theoretically possible that an investigative result might disprove the hypothesis. For example, our hypothesis that hot water hurts is falsifiable, given that you could plunge your hand into boiling water, to see if it feels comfortable. In practice, we know that this would indeed hurt, supporting your hypothesis. Finally, you would carry out your investigation or experiment, record the results, and from them draw a conclusion, that your investigation either supports or disproves your hypothesis.

This important concept of scientific methodology is only possible, because we expect a rational universe, with scientific laws that make sense, and that do not change. Such a rational universe is only possible within a biblical worldview, where random chance events do not take place.

Prayer: We know, Lord God, that we can only make sense of this universe, because You made it. Thank You that You gave us reasoning and wisdom, sufficient to practice science, to understand the universe better. Amen.

Author: Paul F. Taylor

Ref: Scientific Method, Encyclopedia Britannica, , accessed 05/26/2017. Image: Archon Magnus, license: Creative Commons Share-Alike, 4.0 International.