Preliminary Definitions -
Intelligible - that which is understandable through the act of abstraction. The body of timber is intelligible when the timber is known through the act of abstraction to be timber.
Comprehensible - that which is known through its causes. A thing is fully comprehensible when all the causes of the thing are fully known. A thing is partially comprehensible when part of all the causes of the thing is fully known.
An Argument for the Agnostic and Null Value of Empirical Science-Based Knowledge when Atheistic Materialism is Assumed.
Empirical Science endeavours to attain knowledge of the universe through the inductive method. But by applying a method to attain knowledge, the method does not demonstrate, but only assumes the universe is in some manner both intelligible and comprehensible. Yet if the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe are only assumed, the inductive method rests upon the unknown truth value that may or may not be attained through the inductive method. For if the inductive method does not prove that the universe is both intelligible and comprehensible, the knowledge attained through the method is of unknown veracity within the method itself. To have veracity of knowledge concerning the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe, the inductive method must depend upon the truth of the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe through deductive reasoning.
Yet the inductive method as used by atheistic scientists assumes a materialist worldview, which excludes the existence of non-bodily substances. But the exclusion of non-bodily substances infers man is only material and can only do material-based actions. Knowledge is then according to materialism, only a material act, likened to the sense knowledge of animals. But if human knowledge is sense knowledge, then knowledge is only in the singular and concrete and never in the universal. For the universal is in the abstract and thereby an immaterial act.
The lack of ability of man to do an immaterial act according to the materialist worldview excludes the existence of deductive reasoning. For deductive reasoning is made from principles to conclusions known in the abstract. Therefore, if deductive reasoning is excluded by the materialist worldview, no deductive based argument can be made to ascertain the truth value of the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe assumed in the inductive method. The inductive method must proceed, based upon the presumed truth of the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe which is never known to be true.
The lack of proof assumed in the inductive method infers the materialist worldview causes science to only ever attain knowledge of the universe that may be both unintelligible and incomprehensible. The atheistic scientist who assumes knowledge of the universe is attained through the inductive method when in fact the lack of certitude of truth attained within the inductive method infers the empirical sciences must always be agnostic about scientific knowledge. If a scientist never thinks the universe is both intelligible and comprehensible, and the inductive method is impotent to provide any proof for the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe, then any, or all knowledge of the universe attained through science may only be a superstition. For example, a scientist may conclude that a model has been constructed to predict the motion of the planets, but the model may in fact only be a superstition that is always unrelated to anything in the universe. For the universe may be both unintelligible and incomprehensible, when the scientist has only assumed the universe to be otherwise.
In fact, if atheistic materialism is assumed, human knowledge is always a material act which excludes the act of abstraction. If abstract thought is excluded by materialism, science knowledge becomes a series of sense acts like that of a dog barking or a bird chirping. The laws of science known through the inductive method are then the equivalent to a meaningless howl of a dog or a whinny of a horse. The material, singular sense acts of animals never enunciate universal laws because sense acts are never universal, but always singular. If atheistic materialism is presumed, science knowledge is consequently destroyed and the universe is necessarily both unintelligible and incomprehensible. For if man is only a material thing, man is only a well-developed animal with sense knowledge. And sense knowledge is not the intellective knowledge required for the universe to be intelligible.
Comment - The problem of the assumed intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe is only removed if the atheistic materialist worldview is removed and replaced by a realist worldview that permits the existence and actions of spirits in the universe. Only then can one arrive at a realist anthropology which includes the existence and act of a spiritual intellect in man, to then used deductive reasoning to make an argument for the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe. Once proven that the universe is both intelligible and in part, comprehensible, the truth value of the inductive method can then be assessed.
Empirical science is in reality only ever based upon a monotheistic worldview which includes the notion of man as a composite of body and soul, which is consistent with Christianity and divine revelation. The denial of Christianity and divine revelation concludes to the agnostic nature of the inductive method that opens the empirical sciences to the criticism that all knowledge attained through the inductive method may well only be of the equivalent value of superstition. The veracity of the empirical sciences is dependent upon the veracity of the worldview presumed prior to the acceptance of the value of the knowledge attained within the empirical sciences.
Intelligible - that which is understandable through the act of abstraction. The body of timber is intelligible when the timber is known through the act of abstraction to be timber.
Comprehensible - that which is known through its causes. A thing is fully comprehensible when all the causes of the thing are fully known. A thing is partially comprehensible when part of all the causes of the thing is fully known.
An Argument for the Agnostic and Null Value of Empirical Science-Based Knowledge when Atheistic Materialism is Assumed.
Empirical Science endeavours to attain knowledge of the universe through the inductive method. But by applying a method to attain knowledge, the method does not demonstrate, but only assumes the universe is in some manner both intelligible and comprehensible. Yet if the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe are only assumed, the inductive method rests upon the unknown truth value that may or may not be attained through the inductive method. For if the inductive method does not prove that the universe is both intelligible and comprehensible, the knowledge attained through the method is of unknown veracity within the method itself. To have veracity of knowledge concerning the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe, the inductive method must depend upon the truth of the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe through deductive reasoning.
Yet the inductive method as used by atheistic scientists assumes a materialist worldview, which excludes the existence of non-bodily substances. But the exclusion of non-bodily substances infers man is only material and can only do material-based actions. Knowledge is then according to materialism, only a material act, likened to the sense knowledge of animals. But if human knowledge is sense knowledge, then knowledge is only in the singular and concrete and never in the universal. For the universal is in the abstract and thereby an immaterial act.
The lack of ability of man to do an immaterial act according to the materialist worldview excludes the existence of deductive reasoning. For deductive reasoning is made from principles to conclusions known in the abstract. Therefore, if deductive reasoning is excluded by the materialist worldview, no deductive based argument can be made to ascertain the truth value of the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe assumed in the inductive method. The inductive method must proceed, based upon the presumed truth of the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe which is never known to be true.
The lack of proof assumed in the inductive method infers the materialist worldview causes science to only ever attain knowledge of the universe that may be both unintelligible and incomprehensible. The atheistic scientist who assumes knowledge of the universe is attained through the inductive method when in fact the lack of certitude of truth attained within the inductive method infers the empirical sciences must always be agnostic about scientific knowledge. If a scientist never thinks the universe is both intelligible and comprehensible, and the inductive method is impotent to provide any proof for the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe, then any, or all knowledge of the universe attained through science may only be a superstition. For example, a scientist may conclude that a model has been constructed to predict the motion of the planets, but the model may in fact only be a superstition that is always unrelated to anything in the universe. For the universe may be both unintelligible and incomprehensible, when the scientist has only assumed the universe to be otherwise.
In fact, if atheistic materialism is assumed, human knowledge is always a material act which excludes the act of abstraction. If abstract thought is excluded by materialism, science knowledge becomes a series of sense acts like that of a dog barking or a bird chirping. The laws of science known through the inductive method are then the equivalent to a meaningless howl of a dog or a whinny of a horse. The material, singular sense acts of animals never enunciate universal laws because sense acts are never universal, but always singular. If atheistic materialism is presumed, science knowledge is consequently destroyed and the universe is necessarily both unintelligible and incomprehensible. For if man is only a material thing, man is only a well-developed animal with sense knowledge. And sense knowledge is not the intellective knowledge required for the universe to be intelligible.
Comment - The problem of the assumed intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe is only removed if the atheistic materialist worldview is removed and replaced by a realist worldview that permits the existence and actions of spirits in the universe. Only then can one arrive at a realist anthropology which includes the existence and act of a spiritual intellect in man, to then used deductive reasoning to make an argument for the intelligibility and comprehensibility of the universe. Once proven that the universe is both intelligible and in part, comprehensible, the truth value of the inductive method can then be assessed.
Empirical science is in reality only ever based upon a monotheistic worldview which includes the notion of man as a composite of body and soul, which is consistent with Christianity and divine revelation. The denial of Christianity and divine revelation concludes to the agnostic nature of the inductive method that opens the empirical sciences to the criticism that all knowledge attained through the inductive method may well only be of the equivalent value of superstition. The veracity of the empirical sciences is dependent upon the veracity of the worldview presumed prior to the acceptance of the value of the knowledge attained within the empirical sciences.
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