Occam’s Razor

“Plurality is not to be assumed without necessity.” -William of Ockham, Quodlibeta, Book V (ca. I324)

This idea is hard for me to explain.  What Ockham was getting at was theological.  Lots of theologians before his time were trying to use complex systems of science to in essence prove God’s existance.  Occcam (his Latin name) argued that were complexity was not neccesary one should be simple.  Simple and logical and therefore one could never prove God existed.  Occam however had no objection, God had to be taken by faith it was all part of it.  “As we shallsee, one hypothetical Occam’s razor dispensed iwth was the existence of God.  Not that he didn’t believe God exists, of course; he just thought you couldn’t prove it, because to do so yiou had to resort to rather complex (and incredible) arguments…but what Occam said, and most everyone eventually accepted, is that science and theology have differnet objects and require differnt methods…Accepting these conditison means that we won’t be able to scientifically prove God’s existence or His goodness, or any of the other tenets of faith.  Such a conclusion did not bother him at all; he thought theology as one thing (a matter of revelation) and science another ( a matter of discovery).  This idea took a while to prevail, as Galileo could have told you, but ultimately science and religion went their own separte ways.  In great part, this is what modernism is all about.”  -Micael Macrone, Ph.D 

What do I think?…?  The idea has truth in it.  The Bible was not written as a science textbook but about God and the supernatural.  Does relgion and sceince always need to be sperate?  No neccisarly yes or no.  They both are attempts to pursue truth.  But they are distinct at the same time.  Looking at the universe desighn is clear.  Is that religion or science?  If it is religion then science is part of relgion, if it is science relgion is part of science. It is part of reality, part of truth.  When two things are searching for the same thing at, at least one point they are going to meet.  God’s Word being truth will always stand, harmonious with the truth that is.  In essence Christ is truth and the sole, or at least greatest, goal seeing the natural world around us is seeing God’s glory, in the flower, the moon, and the brook.  When I look into science I see God’s fingerprints and it wows me. 

What do you think?

Peace to all.