Scientism and Secularism

Rigid adherence to scientism―as opposed to a healthy respect for science―is all too prevalent in our world today. Rather than leading to a deeper understanding of our universe, this worldview actually undermines real science and marginalizes morality and religion.

In this book, celebrated philosopher J. P. Moreland exposes the self-defeating nature of scientism and equips us to recognize scientism's harmful presence in different aspects of culture, emboldening our witness to biblical Christianity and arming us with strategies for the integration of faith and science―the only feasible path to genuine knowledge.

1. Opening
2. Introduction
3. Chapter 1
4. What Is Scientism
5. Scientism Illustrated
6. Example - Marilyn Vos Savant
7. Example - Scientism In School
8. Scientism Defined
9. Chapter 2
10. One
11. Two
12. Three
13. Four
14. Chapter 3
15. How Things Changed
16. Chapter 4
17. What Makes A Statement Self-Refuting
18. Why Strong Scientism Is Self-Refuting
19. Scientism Is Philosophy Not Science
20. Back To My Conversation With The Man Who Believed In Scientism And Mocked Christianity
21. Chapter 5
22. The Conclusions Of Science Can Only Be As Strong As Its Presuppositions
23. Presuppositions Of Science That Science Itself Cannot Justify
24. Two
25. Three
26. Four
27. Five
28. Six
29. Conclusion
30. Chapter 6
31. Weak Scientism Encourages Us To Look Only At The Authority Of Science And Not To Examine The Actual Arguments
32. Why We Should Reject Weak Scientism
33. Which View Makes Better Sense Of Reality
34. Chapter 7
35. Logic And Math
36. Our Personal Conscience States
37. Moral Knowledge
38. Chapter 8
39. What Is Consciousness
40. Property Dualism And The Case For The Immaterial Nature Of Consciousness
41. Five Reasons Why Mental States Are Not Physical
42. The Intrusion Of Neuroscience
43. Conclusion
44. Chapter 9
45. The War Against First Philosophy
46. What Happened When We Rejected First Philosophy
47. Why Was First Philosophy Rejected
48. Foundationalism
49. Cartesian Foundationalism
50. Chapter 10
51. Examples Of The Authority Thesis
52. Two
53. Three
54. Examples Of The Autonomy Thesis
55. Two
56. Conclusion
57. Chapter 11
58. Standard Scientific Explanations
59. Personal Explanations
60. Criteria For Things That Are Scientifically Unexplainable
61. Phenomena That Are Too Odd To Fit Into A Pattern Of Scientific Explanation
62. One
63. Two
64. Three
65. Four
66. Phenomena That Are Too Big To Fit Into A Pattern Of Scientific Explanation
67. Chapter 12
68. One
69. Philosophical Evidence That The Universe Had A Beginning
70. Scientific Evidence That The Universe Had A Beginning
71. Evidence That The Beginning Of The Universe Was Caused
72. Evidence That The Cause Of The Beginning Of The Universe Was Personal
73. Three Reasons Science Cannot, In Principle, Explain The Origin Of The Universe
74. Two
75. Science Cannot Explain The Fine Tuning Of The Universe
76. Fine Tuning And The Existence Of God
77. The Response By Naturalists
78. Four
79. Reasons Why Science Cannot Explain The Origin Of Mental States
80. Five
81. Conclusion
82. Chapter 13
83. Intelligent Design
84. One
85. Two
86. Three
87. Theistic Evolution
88. The Revival Of Methodological Naturalism
89. The Divide Between Intelligent Design And Theistic Evolution
90. Why Christians Should Reject Methodological Naturalism
91. One
92. Two
93. Argument For Methodological Naturalism And Against Intelligent Design
94. Chapter 14
95. Areas Where Science And Theology Do Or Do Not Relate
96. Integration - Conceptual And Personal
97. Integration As A Rational Justification Of Christian Truth Claims
98. Polemics
99. Theistic Christian Explanation
100. Chapter 15
101. Five Ways To Relate Issues In Science And Christian Theology
102. One
103. Two
104. Three
105. Four
106. Five
107. Rational Criteria For Going Against The Experts
108. Conclusion
109. One Final Plea