[TN6]≫ Read Reason in the Balance The Case Against Naturalism in Science Law Education Phillip E Johnson 9780830819294 Books

Reason in the Balance The Case Against Naturalism in Science Law Education Phillip E Johnson 9780830819294 Books

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Reason in the Balance The Case Against Naturalism in Science Law Education Phillip E Johnson 9780830819294 Books

Isn't it amazing how many people have written one-star reviews about this book and have not even read it.

Mr. Johnson has done a brilliant job in showing that what many people call science is ruled and controlled by an a priori metaphysical presupposition. Modern day scientists who prescribe to the tenants of naturalism, which is the vast majority of them, are under philosophical and ideological assumptions as to the nature of the world.

The truth is that a scientist who is a naturalist has far more presuppositions at play than a scientist who is a theist. The bad part is that almost all scientists who proclaim an adherence to naturalism and its belief systems will also say that they have NO biases. The conventional wisdom will tell you that the theistic scientist has a bias toward his belief and that his research may be swayed towards proving that outcome and this is could be a legitimate argument. However, these biases are obviously well known and can easily be countered against.

But what MR. Johnson clearly talks about in this book is what about the scientist and his beliefs in naturalism. Obviously this will sway his research towards proving his outcomes. The scary part is that most of the scientific community is self-deluding itself by proclaiming that they have NO biases. It is more frightfully more dangerous to be UNAWARE of your biases than it is to know them and acknowledge them.

When one stands back and looks at the true difference between a theistic scientist's worldview and that of a Naturalistic scientist, it is quite alarming to realize that both scientists have a metaphysical belief structure which helps them develop their ontological outlook. Through this structure or lens as the book calls it their world and their work is viewed. It is then that there pervasive biases are added so that when we read the many of the writings from naturalistic scientist today what we find are theories replete with arguments of metaphysical nature. The disturbing aspect of this is for years THESE naturalistic scientists have been arguing that Intelligent Design is not true science because it MIGHT lead to metaphysical theories. And this cannot be because that is not true science but super-naturalism.

(NOTE: Super-naturalism is a code word used by scientists to put down and de-legitimize metaphysical theories postulated by anybody but a bonafide naturalist. When a naturalist is involved in metaphysics it is considered true science and above reproach and long as that metaphysical theory coincides with the naturalistic world view.)

It is this blatant double standard and extreme hypocrisy that has caused people such as Mr. Johnson to eloquently speak out. Presuppositions put forward by any person should be exposed for what they are, but in this case naturalism gets a pass and what people are reading as supposedly unbiased research is actually very biased in favor of their philosophical presuppositions.

Metaphysics preformed by naturalists is still metaphysics. What we have here is a ruling cabal that thinks they are above reproach. Therefore proclamations put forth by them should be taken by you, the underlings without thought or reservation. Mr. Johnson has gotten in trouble because he declared that the emperors of science have no clothes and have challenged their cherished belief structure. Interesting to note just how hysterical and dogmatic these naturalists become. Their responses are deceitful and unscientific and show the true nature of the philosophies.

This book is a great read for anyone interested in the truth.


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Reason in the Balance The Case Against Naturalism in Science Law Education Phillip E Johnson 9780830819294 Books Reviews

Unbelievable! If you want a clear picture of the type of pinched "intellectualism" that rules the disciplines addressed by Johnson, check out all the one star reviews of Johnson's other books and their dates by "speed readers" Ricky78, Ethel Moore, Angela O'Neill, Robert Jones, and Vernon Green. (Just click "See all my reviews" by their names.)

That these folks are intelligent enough to use the "copy and paste" function on their computers does not confirm that they have the capacity to read, understand and honestly evaluate Johnson's work. It would be unfortunate if anyone chose to pass on this interesting author because of their silliness. I actually read this book and found it provocative and well-presented.

There are also others who validate Johnson's point by dogmatically asserting the infalliblity of science - particularly evolutionary science - while attempting to discredit him by pointing out that he is a) a lawyer (which is correct) and b) a fundamentalist Christian (which is not correct).

Johnson is an articulate, intelligent polemecist whose detractors clearly find his views threatening.

If you are interested in considering whether naturalism has a stifling influence on science, law and education, this book is a good place to start.
I read this about a year ago and a propos for a book of this nature, it has garnereed scowling criticism and adoring praise, but not much in between. Well, here I come to fill the dearth.
I am an evolutionist, but I have, like Johnson, grown tired of scientism (the belief that everything non-science is nonsense) and an over-reliance on naturalism (calling everything that is merely naturalistic a full-fledged science). On issuese related to this he stands his ground well (better than any other IDer I've read). His point is this science and naturalism have become increasingly synonymous and we are living in an age that craves for naturalism and naturalistic explanation even at the cost of accuracy or coherence. What does this lead us to? An uber-reductinism that, as William James puts it, leaves room for nothing we can care about those intangibles like feelings, moral thought, ideals and such. They are dismissed as frivolity and 'touchy feely'. Instead we get 'selfish genes', reduction of the mind solely to matter (even though thoughts themselves are intangible as such), and our new moral code game theory.
Another area Johnson picks up on is that science is starting to pass the threshold of being contingent on experiment and sense data. Rather, disciplines like sociobiology and theoretical physics are so theory based and oriented not on matter, but models, that they are hardly 'sciences' anymore. Johnson hits that on the head too. But instead of calling them philosophy (where they may better belong, being so theory based) we call them science; not becuase they are experimental, but because they are naturalistic.
But here is where I part ways with him. From here he assumes that science should not 'rig the game' by only allowing naturalistic explanations. Instead (this is where he gets sneaky) we should look at supernatural causes as a possible explanation (and his favorite, Intellegent Design theory). But what Johnson fails to hit on is that even the theoretical disciplines above a.) try to explain (rather than postulate and stop there) even if it is by model rather than experiment, and b.) that the above disciplines he castigates as 'not sciences' are at very least falsifiable (sociobiology might be, for example, by the fossil record or further DNA evidence). Intellegent Design merely replaces the mystery of matter's origin with the mystery of the 'designer' it posits but does not attempt to start explaining. And it is literally unfalsifiable because it lacks content other than "a designer did it".
From here, it goes far downhill as Johnson gets into all the supposed moral consequences of naturalism moral relativism, nihilism, secularism in law and education, etc. He shows, though, only that these are POSSIBLE consequences of naturalism but never seems to come around to why - if one does not posit an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibonevelent creator - that one has to end up a relativist and a nihilist. In fact, he failse even to cite the most embarrasing fact to his case most sociobiologists are as stertnly committed to fighting relativism and nihilism as he is (and sometimes, as in the case of Dawkins, more vigorously)!!
In conclusion, I gave the book 3 stars because despite the fact that I disagree with much in this book, the perceptions about naturalisms connection to science and vice versa are spot on, and the rest of the book is, if anything, quite learned. I think that even those into science and naturalistic philosophy should at least benefit by reading some of Johnson's adroit criticisms particularly in the first half of the book. Unfortunately, outside of those good points, there is much passionate asserting and little explaining.
Isn't it amazing how many people have written one-star reviews about this book and have not even read it.

Mr. Johnson has done a brilliant job in showing that what many people call science is ruled and controlled by an a priori metaphysical presupposition. Modern day scientists who prescribe to the tenants of naturalism, which is the vast majority of them, are under philosophical and ideological assumptions as to the nature of the world.

The truth is that a scientist who is a naturalist has far more presuppositions at play than a scientist who is a theist. The bad part is that almost all scientists who proclaim an adherence to naturalism and its belief systems will also say that they have NO biases. The conventional wisdom will tell you that the theistic scientist has a bias toward his belief and that his research may be swayed towards proving that outcome and this is could be a legitimate argument. However, these biases are obviously well known and can easily be countered against.

But what MR. Johnson clearly talks about in this book is what about the scientist and his beliefs in naturalism. Obviously this will sway his research towards proving his outcomes. The scary part is that most of the scientific community is self-deluding itself by proclaiming that they have NO biases. It is more frightfully more dangerous to be UNAWARE of your biases than it is to know them and acknowledge them.

When one stands back and looks at the true difference between a theistic scientist's worldview and that of a Naturalistic scientist, it is quite alarming to realize that both scientists have a metaphysical belief structure which helps them develop their ontological outlook. Through this structure or lens as the book calls it their world and their work is viewed. It is then that there pervasive biases are added so that when we read the many of the writings from naturalistic scientist today what we find are theories replete with arguments of metaphysical nature. The disturbing aspect of this is for years THESE naturalistic scientists have been arguing that Intelligent Design is not true science because it MIGHT lead to metaphysical theories. And this cannot be because that is not true science but super-naturalism.

(NOTE Super-naturalism is a code word used by scientists to put down and de-legitimize metaphysical theories postulated by anybody but a bonafide naturalist. When a naturalist is involved in metaphysics it is considered true science and above reproach and long as that metaphysical theory coincides with the naturalistic world view.)

It is this blatant double standard and extreme hypocrisy that has caused people such as Mr. Johnson to eloquently speak out. Presuppositions put forward by any person should be exposed for what they are, but in this case naturalism gets a pass and what people are reading as supposedly unbiased research is actually very biased in favor of their philosophical presuppositions.

Metaphysics preformed by naturalists is still metaphysics. What we have here is a ruling cabal that thinks they are above reproach. Therefore proclamations put forth by them should be taken by you, the underlings without thought or reservation. Mr. Johnson has gotten in trouble because he declared that the emperors of science have no clothes and have challenged their cherished belief structure. Interesting to note just how hysterical and dogmatic these naturalists become. Their responses are deceitful and unscientific and show the true nature of the philosophies.

This book is a great read for anyone interested in the truth.