science

It is essential to appreciate what science is and can do, and what it is not and cannot do.

It has been said that 'all science is measurement' and certainly it cannot be imagined without
measurement. Some things are easily measured, others less so. In particular evolution (as opposed to
variation within species and natural selection) cannot be directly observed or measured. Scientists who
follow the evolutionary paradigm begin with the assumption that evolution must have happened, then try
to fit observations made today to the paradigm. They also postulate theories about what may have
happened in the unobservable past, but can't check these by direct observations or experiments.

The belief that evolution did happen is an a priori assumption because the alternative, special creation,
is 'unthinkable'. (see naturalism).

It must be made absolutely clear that while some branches of science are very precise and based on
direct and repeatable observations (e.g. metallurgy, organic chemistry, semiconductors, radiology,
ballistics etc.) other branches are less precise and may not be based on any repeatable observations
at all. For example, Darwin and his followers believe that all living things have descended from a single
primitive organism by a series of many gradual changes, and that the original 'common ancestor' itself
'arose' (to use the evolutionists' term) from non-living chemicals by chance. It cannot be stressed too
often that these beliefs are not subject to repeatable experimental proof and so are not science in the
ordinary sense of the word.

The basic scientific process can be simply set out as follows:

1) decide on a problem worth investigation or a question worth asking ( for example, what causes lung
cancer?)
2) think about it, study the problem, talk to others, read what has already been written on the subject (it
seems to affect smokers quite a lot)
3) ask sensible questions which might get useful answers or lead to a theory (could it be tobacco
smoke?)
4) set up a test or experiment which might answer the question (ask lung cancer sufferers whether they
smoke or not)
5) carry out the experiment, measure the results carefully
6) study the results
7) formulate conclusions, always being aware of alternative possibilities
8) publish the results and invite comments from others who know something about the problem in
question
9) perhaps other workers will suggest problems with your methodology, point out that this question has
already been answered perhaps by a researcher in Scandinavia or America, suggest a way to refine
your technique, or they may agree with you and say they have found the same. Very often, there is a call
for more research to be done.
10) the process moves on, always looking to refine the theory in the light of new knowledge.......

The above is essentially how science is done. The scientific method is the foundation of the good
material things we enjoy in our way of life in the west, the foundation of medicine, machines, radio, TV
and telephones, crop protection, vaccination, plant and animal breeding and all sorts of things we are
thankful for. It is an immensely powerful tool. If you were sick with a chest infection, given the choice,
would you rather receive prayer for your recovery or an appropriate antibiotic? No contest.