Shaping Biology © Dr Arthur Jones (September 2007)

Plan 1)Worldviews 2)Systematics 3)Some Case Studies 4)Conclusion

Worldviews

Christianity Islam Western Religion Communism Hinduism

Christian Story Creation Fall Redemption New Creation

Worldview of Western Religion Science Technology Economics Consumerism

Systematics: Digging Deeper Worldviews are not enough

For Christian critique of science and science teaching we need a systematic understanding of how beliefs influence science

The Bush of Knowledge Explicit (usually recognised) Implicit (rarely recognised) All the disciplines Facts Religion General Philosophy Philosophy Paradigms Theories © Richard Russell & Arthur Jones

religion general philosophy paradigms discipline philosophies theories facts

religion paradigm discipline philosophies theories facts general philosophy

Tree of Life

General Philosophy What is Biology? “Life is never a material, a substance to be moulded. If you want to know, life is the principle of self-renewal, it is constantly renewing and remaking and changing and transfiguring itself.” Boris Pasternak ( ) (Doctor Zhivago)

religion general philosophy paradigms discipline philosophies theories facts

Philosophies of Biology Atomism – all wholes are explained by analysing them into their parts. Mechanism – All events are explained by preceding events which are their causes.

religion general philosophy discipline philosophies theories facts paradigms

Paradigms in the physical sciences Atomic Theory Chaos Theory Big Bang Theory Chemical Bonding Theory Kinetic Theory of Gases Conservation of Energy Law Law of Increasing Entropy Quantum Theory Least Action Principle Electromagnetic Theory

Paradigms in the biological sciences Cell Theory Sociobiology Darwinism Exclusion Principle Gene Theory Selfish Gene Theory Law of Biogenesis Structuralism Principle of Homology Principle of Homeostasis

Paradigms in Genetics

Mendelism Weismannism germ line theory particulate heredity Two key paradigms:

Mendelism – The factors governing characters are material, hereditary particles (‘atoms’) – now called ‘genes’. Weismannism – Heredity is a function of the germline only. The germline gives rise to the body (soma); the body does not affect the germline.

Facts Philosophy Paradigms Theories Genetical ‘facts’ Mechanism Atomism governed by the assumptions of Genetical theories selected and interpreted by MendelismWeismannism using the concepts of

DNA reductionism is like saying the bumps on a CD   create both the music and the CD player.

DNA encodes the building materials (proteins), but not the architect’s plans. Heredity and development never start with just DNA, but always with whole cells, whole organisms.

Paramecium

Is there a scientific theory of evolution?

How? No theory! (1) Embryological Development

How? No theory! (2) Evolutionary Development

CONCLUSION: How can we shape biology?

through understanding how beliefs influence science through developing and applying a Christian philosophy of science through worldview analysis

Shaping Biology © Dr Arthur Jones (September 2007) THE END