Gman wrote:It is often debated on this forum that science can neither prove nor disprove the existence of a god or supernatural power, for such questions are outside the the bounds of science. Science, therefore, is not subject to ultimate questions such as how did life come into existence and the likes...
So the question here is, in the view of Darwinian evolutionary beliefs, is it purely scientific or is it philosophical? Is it neutral to the existence of a god? What is science and what were Darwin's beliefs on this subject? Can definitions of science truly be philosophically free?
Thoughts?
What is science and what is philosophy, that is your first question.
You have to find out what scientists are working on, in order to know what is science.
And you have to find out what philosophers are working on, in order to how what is philosophy.
As regards what Darwin was concerned with, how about looking up the title page of his book, which I think is about the origin of species.
Then see if inside that book what was he really examining, and how; is the what and the how similar to what scientists today are into, or is his what and his how similar to what philosophers today and also in the history of philosophy are into.
I love to pursue your questions with you, and we can both learn what is science into and what is philosophy into, and what was Darwin into, science or philosophy.
If you ask me, I think the man was into philosophy and got his philosophy from the competition of commercial products, how some products succeeded to seize a lasting place in the market and others did not.
For example, toothpaste and toothbrush are commercial products and have succeeded in the market to this day and will continue to enjoy a good market even into the future.
But imagine that at the time when toothpaste and toothbrush were introduced in the market, some inventors and merchants where trying to sell dental wipes, i.e., small pieces of chemically treated cloths for rubbing one's teeth to clean them, this product did not last long in the market and today we don't see any trace of it.
I however also rub my teeth with a wet handkerchief or small wet towel when I happen not to have any toothpaste and any toothbrush or only one of the two.
Still given a choice I prefer toothpaste and toothbrush to wet handkerchief or towel.
Here is another practice I engage in, at present I don't use toothpaste but shower soap, just scrape my toothbrush on the soap to get soap on its bristles, and then use the toothbrush as usual like having squeezed toothpaste on the bristles.
Yrreg