Science vs. Faith: Historical Perspectives

• Faith is believed to be for the blind, science relies on evidence.
• Religion, according to Richard Dawkins, obstructs scientific advancement, hindering coexistence.
• John Lennox contends that Christianity propelled scientific advancement, the core conflict lies between naturalism and theism.
• Francis Bacon developed the Scientific Method, which uses empirical observation and inductive reasoning for knowledge through experiments.
• Karl Popper's falsifiability theory suggests scientific knowledge advances by testing and rejecting hypotheses.
• Thomas Kuhn posited that science progresses through revolutions where dominant theories replace previous ones.
• Aristotle introduced deductive reasoning, where conclusions logically follow general principles.
• Aristotle's teleology suggests everything in nature has a purpose.
• Aristotle thought that all matter consists of earth, water, air, fire, and aether.
• Ptolemy’s geocentric model, which places Earth at the center of the universe, was accepted for 1000 years.
• Democritus proposed the atomic theory that the world consists of atoms, though he didn't prove it with experiments.
• Copernicus proposed the heliocentric model, positioning the sun at the center of the universe.
• Tycho Brahe created a hybrid model, with Earth stationary and the sun orbiting Earth.
• Galileo Galilei discovered the telescope and was arrested for supporting heliocentrism.
• Johannes Kepler found that planets orbit the sun in ellipses.
• Kepler's work supported the heliocentric model of the solar system.
• Isaac Newton supported the three laws of motion and universal gravitation.
• Newton's first law is the Law of Inertia.
• Newton's second law is the Law of Acceleration.
• Newton's third law is the Action-Reaction Law.
• John Dalton proposed that all matter consists of indivisible atoms.
• Dmitri Mendeleev created the periodic table, organizing elements by atomic mass.
• J.J. Thompson discovered the electron in 1897 through his cathode ray tube experiment.
• Thompson's discovery led to the plum pudding model of the atom.
• Ernest Rutherford's gold foil experiment led to the discovery of the nucleus.
• Niels Bohr proposed that electrons orbit the nucleus in fixed energy levels.
• Albert Einstein proposed the Theory of Relativity, with E=mc², describing the relationship between energy and mass.
• Lise Meitner discovered nuclear fission, explaining how splitting atomic nuclei releases vast energy.
• Gerhard Domagk discovered Prontosil, the first commercially available antibiotic, leading to sulfa drugs.
• Fritz Haber proposed the Haber-Bosch process, enabling large-scale ammonia production for synthetic fertilizers.

Key Terms and Concepts

• Powers of 10 express large or small numbers in scientific notation.
• Antibiotics kill or inhibit bacterial growth by targeting bacterial structures/functions.
• God of the Gaps attributes unknown phenomena to divine intervention.
• Two Books of Revelation suggests God reveals truth through nature and scripture.
• Science is empirical, objective, and rational, relying on observation, experimentation, and logical reasoning.
• The Scientific Method includes observation, hypothesis, experimentation, and conclusion.
• Science cannot address moral, aesthetic, or supernatural questions.
• Science seeks universal truths through systematic observation and experimentation.
• Empirical means that science relies on evidence
• Objectivity means that science relies on unbiased observation
• Rationality means that science relies on logical reasoning.
• Popper’s Falsification states that a scientific theory must be testable and falsifiable.
• Kuhn’s Paradigms and Scientific Revolutions say science progresses through shifts in dominant theories (paradigms).
• Scientific theories are shaped by fundamental principles and empirical data.
• Reductionism suggests a complex system can be understood by studying its simpler parts.
• Determinism says all events follow causal laws.
• Materialism states everything is physical.
• Scientism claims science is the only path to knowledge.
• Christian theism believes in a divine creator.
• Naturalism rejects the supernatural.
• Postmodernism questions absolute truth. Methodological Naturalism
• Assumes natural causes for phenomena and does not consider supernatural explanations. Retrograde Motion
• Is the apparent backward motion of planets due to Earth's movement. Epicycle
• A small circular orbit within a planet’s main orbit, used in the geocentric model. Heliocentric, Geocentric
• Heliocentric places the Sun at the center, and the geocentric places Earth at the center of the universe. Aristotle’s Science
• Consists of earth, water, air, fire, and aether, focusing on purpose (teleology) and logical deduction. Newton’s Laws of Motion
• Objects remain in motion unless acted on, force equals mass times acceleration, and every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravity
• Every mass attracts every other mass, force relies on mass and distance. Deism, Clockwork Universe
• Deism believes in a non-intervening creator, and the universe operates like a predictable machine. Average Speed, Instantaneous Speed
• Average speed is total distance divided by time, and instantaneous speed is speed at a specific moment. Derivative, Power Rule for Derivatives
• A derivative measures how a function changes, and the power rule states d/dx [xⁿ] = n*xⁿ⁻¹. Number Systems
• Ancient civilizations developed unique numerical notations, and Indian numerals evolved into the modern decimal system. Algebra, Imaginary Number (i)
• Algebra solves equations using symbols, and the imaginary unit (i) represents the square root of -1. Proton, Neutron, Electron
• Protons and neutrons are in the nucleus, while electrons orbit.
• Protons are positive, neutrons are neutral, and electrons are negative. Gold Foil Experiment
• Showed atoms have a dense nucleus, and most of an atom is empty space. Nucleus, Isotope, Ion, Notation
• ²³Na⁺ represents what protons and neutrons are in the nucleus.
• Isotopes have different neutron counts, and ions are charged atoms. Elements, Periodic Table
• Elements are pure substances, and the periodic table organizes them by atomic number and properties. Nuclear Fission
• The splitting of atomic nuclei releases energy and also powers nuclear reactors and bombs. Manhattan Project
• A secret WWII project that developed nuclear weapons and bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ionic Bonding, Non-Polar and Polar Covalent Bonding
• Ionic bonding transfers electrons, while covalent bonding shares them.
• Polar bonds have unequal sharing, while non-polar bonds share equally. Intermolecular and Intramolecular Forces
• Intermolecular forces act between molecules, Intramolecular forces hold atoms together within molecules. Essential Molecules
• These molecules are crucial for life, they include water (H₂O), oxygen (O₂), and carbon dioxide (CO₂). Haber-Bosch Process
• An industrial method for synthesizing ammonia, and also supports large-scale agriculture through fertilizer production. Nitrogen Fixation
• The process of converting atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms. Nitrogen Cycle
• The movement of nitrogen through ecosystems, fixation, assimilation, nitrification, and denitrification. Eutrophication, Algae Blooms, Dead Zones
• Excess nutrients cause algal overgrowth, this depletes oxygen and kills aquatic life.

Explore the historical debate between science and faith. Examine perspectives from Dawkins, Lennox, Bacon, Popper, Kuhn, Aristotle. Understand the roles of empiricism, falsifiability and deductive reasoning. Discover teleology & geocentric models.