philosophy of science: meaning and functions (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, September 03, 2018, 09:50 (2273 days ago) @ David Turell

QUOTE: Since things work better if they follow their function, does this mean there is a proper order for human flourishing, as the medievals believe?

I say no. But there are certain rules which would be helpful to humanity in general, like ‘do as you would be done by’.

QUOTE: Furthermore, what does science have to say about the creators of function, such as humans? Since matter cannot create function, function creators cannot be reduced to matter.

What does “create function” mean? We humans are able to make materials function in a certain way, and we are able to analyse function in material things we have not created. We assume that matter cannot do its own analysing, but that does not mean matter doesn’t function independently of the human mind or of any other mind! There is a functioning balance between our planet and the rest of our solar system, and an atheist has as much right to believe that matter follows natural laws which do not require a creator as a theist has to believe in a mind that defies all scientific analysis.

QUOTE: And being more than matter, human beings must be more valuable than any material good.

More valuable to whom? Humans! This is silly.

QUOTE: While it is true we cannot go from is to ought, intelligent design does provide a scientific basis for human ontological and pragmatic worth, as well as justify a natural law that must be followed in order for humanity to prosper.

It doesn’t and it doesn’t, unless you believe in a God who sets the universal criterion for “worth”, and says “humans are more valuable than x,y,z”. Science provides a basis for intelligent design, but intelligent design does not provide a basis for human arrogance. What does “prosper” mean? Get rich, destroy anything and everything that stands in the way of personal profit? There are different ways of “prospering”, and we know of no laws beyond those we make for ourselves.

QUOTE: So, through the lens of intelligent design, science can indeed talk about the metaphysical realm of value and morals and explain the medieval worldview of function in the empirical language of modern science.

Value and morals are not the province of science, and woolly use of the word “function” provides no scientific basis for any scale of values or social codes.

DAVID’s comment: The material cannot create information. The information that runs the universe must have a mental source.

The material contains information which we humans analyse. Analysis requires a mental source. We can perhaps agree that the first cause is energy turning into materials, but it requires faith to believe that the energy knew what it was doing.