Objectivity
Science can never be totally objective, because no scientist is totally objective. Nevertheless, the goal of this site is to take as objective a view as possible of controversial issues in science. That does not mean we will not take a position, but that every effort will be made to evaluate the evidence fairly and present both the evidence and various interpretations of it without using inflammatory or derogatory language when describing any position, no matter how much we may disagree with it.
Presuppositions, Evidence, Inference, Argumentation
The foundation of science is empirical evidence, on which inferences are built, with the whole structure bound together by argumentation (see the section on Nature of Science). But this whole framework is grounded on presuppositions about the nature of reality and knowledge – whether there is a supernatural deity or consciousness and how we know what we know – underlying religious and philosophical questions whose importance often goes unrecognized. Frequently, differences of opinion about which interpretation best explains the evidence can be traced to differences in underlying assumptions. That is the main focus of this site.
Science and Religion
All the issues discussed on this site are ones on which both science and religion make truth claims. The primary goal is not to convince readers that one position is correct, but to show why people can hold such radically different positions, and why they hold them so strongly. The main issue addressed on the site, as in the book, is origins – of the universe, life, species and humans – but other controversial issues will be addressed on the site as well. The site will continue to grow. Feel free to come back and explore.