Scientists answer questions about God that it is a concept that falls outside science. Then why do scientists answer this question? Aren’t they overstepping the realm of their science?
It is then answered that it falls under the domain of ‘believing’. Who is an expert to give a scientific explanation about ‘believing’? The psychologist? The sociologist? the philosopher or the theologian? Are they scientists?
Or is doing science and believing in God rather a schizophrenic state?
Answer
You can answer this question in different ways. A first way is to say that speaking about God is not nonsensical, but that it is a different kind of speech than scientific speech. Scientists may speak about God, but that is not scientific speaking (just as it is not scientific speaking when they are playing with their children or grandchildren).
Another possible answer is that you can speak about God scientifically, without wanting to prove the existence (or non-existence) of God. For example, scientists can investigate what it means socially when people believe in God, or how it affects their behavior, or they can examine religious scriptures or religious dogmas, etc.
Still other scientists believe that not only the phenomenon of religion, but also the existence or non-existence of God falls within the realm of the scientific. Because, they say, what is scientific proof? It is, among many possible explanations for a phenomenon or set of phenomena, the best explanation that will hold until a better explanation is found. And the existence of God can be such a “best explanation” for some phenomena in our world.
Ines Van Houtte, Higher Institute of Philosophy, KULeuven
Answered by
Ines Van Houtte
philosophy
Old Market 13 3000 Leuven
https://www.kuleuven.be/
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