Why Natural Philosophy is not Outdated
Natural philosophy was and is the use of philosophy to pursue knowledge and understanding of the natural world. Science is thought of as an improvement upon natural philosophy like modern pharmacy is thought of as an improvement upon strictly herbal remedies. However, science can mean several things. Depending on the person and the context, science may mean:
1. Empirical philosophy
2. Empirical means
3. A specific field of study
What follows is a brief description of each of the three proposed meanings of “science.” Then a distinction between natural philosophy and the philosophy of science is made. Finally, the case is made that natural philosophy, the philosophy of science, and scientific investigation are all inseparable and contingent on prior metaphysical values.
Meanings of Science
Above are three proposed meanings of “science.” Surely, there are more possible meanings, so this discussion is not exhaustive.
Science as Empirical Philosophy – First, empiricism must be defined. Empiricism is the epistemological school of thought, which claims that all knowledge comes through sensory experience. There are many different types of empiricists, and empiricism has a long history especially starting with the Enlightenment. However, one type of empirical philosophy is particularly popular and problematic – scientism
Scientism is the combination of materialism and empirical philosophy. As early modernist thinkers declared that only sense perception could produce knowledge, later modernists started to doubt the existence of the non-physical altogether. Now, scientism is a leading philosophy in the secular world, especially amongst the New Atheists. Scientism is a worldview which either denies or reduces the metaphysical to mere physical phenomena. Often, when people say, “I believe in science” or “Science is real” or sometimes even “Science says…” they are (implicitly) assuming scientism. Science becomes a religion and a worldview.
The individual version of scientism expresses itself in a postmodern epistemology. With the philosophical failure of modernist scientism, postmodernism arose and claimed that truth is subjective to each individual’s own experience and perception. Oddly, many postmodernists are much more open to the idea of the non-physical.
Science as Empirical Means – Science, however, is not always the worldview of scientism. In some instances, someone claiming “Science says…” is not consciously subscribing to a worldview of materialism and empiricism. What the person means is, “Certain empirical means and methods suggest a certain conclusion.” Very few suggest that empirical means are not useful. However, many people conflate means/methods and worldview, which leads the scientific laymen to assume that since a scientific discovery is beneficial, scientism must be true. A Christian should reject such thinking, of course.
Science as Particular Field of Study – The English word science comes from the Latin, scientia, which means knowledge. While science as a field more commonly indicates a field dominated by empirical investigation, this is not necessarily so. Theology may be described as the science of God while aesthetics may be described as the science of beauty. Finally, no field is separate from empirical and sensory investigation if for no other reason than that the eyes and ears are almost always used to investigate a topic! Even Christian theology, the study of the Christian God and His Word, utilizes empirical means in the disciplines of textual criticism and archeology.
As demonstrated, science may mean many things in different contexts. Of particular note is the lack of awareness regarding science as a worldview versus science as an investigative tool. This distinction will help one understand the relationship between philosophy and empirical investigation.
Natural Philosophy and the Philosophy of Science
When one learns in a basic college course that natural philosophy is the outdated precursor of science, what is meant by that? What seems to the author to be meant is that the various natural philosophies were precursors to scientism (i.e., materialism and radical empiricism). While the claimed development from an often ill-defined natural philosophy to modern science may be what happened chronologically, it is not a positive development. Of course, it is not an altogether negative development as far as outcomes are concerned, but nonetheless, the worldview of scientism is destructive and antichristian. Truly, it is the advancement of empirical tools and methods that have led to advancement. The philosophy of scientism should not be deemed responsible for the advancement in many empirical fields like medicine or microbiology.
Indeed, scientism is a type of natural philosophy. A natural philosophy involves using philosophical means to investigate the natural world. These philosophical means may determine how a certain field or item is explored. A Christian natural philosophy acknowledges that all things have an end (or goal or telos) in the glory of God and that the universe is orderly due to God’s creative and sustaining powers. Therefore, a Christian natural philosophy sees no issue with the advancement of empirical means to explore God’s creation. Therefore, scientific advancement and Christian philosophy are compatible.
From a Christian natural philosophy flows a Christian philosophy of science. A philosophy of science is a philosophy of empirical investigation. A philosophy of science seeks to answer these questions: How should investigation be undertaken? How reliable are empirical results? What is the role of values in empirical investigation? Which empirical means are best for the subject being studied? How does one limit confounding variables?
Because most scientists and philosophers of science do not start with a well-articulated natural philosophy, the philosophy of science becomes reactive and subject to the leading worldviews of the time. For example, many postmodernists have reacted against scientism’s empiricism, yet the postmodernists have failed to articulate what natural philosophical system undergirds their beliefs. While scientism declares that there is no telos to nature, postmodernism declares that the telos is subjective. Both are non-Christian ideas and ultimately lead to absurdity and purposelessness, which highlights the need for a metaphysical foundation for empirical investigation.
A Christian natural philosophy is subservient to God’s revelation. While God has shown that all things have a general end in his glory, certain topics have had a more detailed telos revealed. For example, God has written extensively on the telos of marriage. The purpose of marriage is primarily to demonstrate the relationship between Christ and his Body. Additionally, marriage has the purpose to prevent sexual immorality, to provide community and love for both man and woman, and to provide a means to fill the earth. When a Christian scientist is investigating marriage, he ought to have these ends of marriage in mind. The investigator who holds to scientism believes that such values don’t matter and don’t impact investigation. The postmodernism investigator believes they do matter but are not grounded in a transcendental source of truth. The Christian believes that revelation is the best guide for philosophy and empirical investigation.
Therefore, while a non-Christian and a Christian’s philosophy of science (i.e., empirical investigation) may seem similar at times (both may seek to limit confounding variables, for example), the natural philosophies are very different due to the opposing metaphysical beliefs.
Metaphysics above Physics
As demonstrated above, one’s worldview directly impacts how and why one investigates the natural world. There is a great need for Christian scientists to fight for the proper understanding of the natural world. Philosophy and science are not so divorced as many have been led to believe. Christian scientists from all disciplines need to stand up and seek how to explore the world in a way that is consistent with a Christian worldview. From the “hard” sciences of biology and chemistry, to the more theoretical science of physics, from the “soft” sciences of anthropology and sociology, to the applied sciences of medicine and engineering, the Christocentric worldview is needed to prevent science from becoming idolatrous. After all, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. While not every Christian scientist needs to be a professional theologian, every Christian scientist needs to understand how his worldview shapes his discipline.
The Bible comes from God; from the Bible comes theology. Philosophy is the handmaiden of theology, meaning that proper philosophy (the realm of reason) comes from proper theology (the realm of revelation). Natural philosophy is the missing bridge connecting a larger metaphysical worldview and a philosophy of investigation. Therefore, without a Christian-based natural philosophy, one cannot have a consistent Christian philosophy of science. Without a Christian philosophy of science, one cannot empirically explore the natural world in a consistent manner. The glory of God permeates creation, including the physical creation. If man acknowledges God’s glory and providence, he must strive to bring all thoughts from his discipline captive to Christ.
There is a lot of work to do.
Mitchell D. Cochran is a family life educator, a financial coach, and a biblical counselor. He is the cofounder of Hope Initiative Consulting, LLC. He is currently attending Calvary University for his M.A. in biblical counseling. Mitchell is active in local politics in Lubbock, TX, where he lives with his wife, Katherine.
