Religion and Science
1. The Method of Argument
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terms of observability, but not in terms of
inferential procedures. For instance, if it is asserted
that “the galaxies are not silver clouds, but a cluster
of separate stars,” the acceptance of this statement
may initially be a matter of faith, but when the
claimant directs one’s gaze through a powerful
telescope, what began as a belief becomes a reality
which is observable by everyone.
Similarly, disputes about whether it is correct or not
to say that water contains microorganisms are
effectively terminated by placing a drop of water
under a microscope, when it will immediately be
observed that the said microorganisms are legion.
With little heed for logic, however, it has been
assumed, conversely, that since the truths of
religion cannot be materially demonstrated, the
tenets of religion must, therefore, be dismissed as
mere claims, matters of faith and belief — nothing
more.
Let us now go beyond this particular assumption,
whose main criterion for acceptance is that of
observability, to consider phenomena, which are
either invisible or only partially observable. Take
