Chapter 1 – Foundations in Life Science

UNIT 1

1A – What is Science?• The word science comes from the Latin word scientia • “knowledge”

• Science - the careful, systematic, investigation of the natural world

•We are studying Life Science• Knowledge gained when scientific investigations are applied to living things in the natural world

Characteristics of Scientific Thinking• Curiosity – humans love the “why” question• Proverbs 25:2 says “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter”

•Why do I lose my hair on my head only to grow hair in my ears and nose?

Characteristics of Scientific Thinking• Caution – have to be able to test what is true• Preference of the Observed• Scientific thinking is based on our observations using our 5

senses• Gathering adequate data leads to making inferences• Logical conclusion based on observable data

• Awareness of limitations of Science• Science deals only with observables• Science cannot prove universal negatives - excludes

everything• Science cannot make value judgments – right or wrong• Science cannot provide final answers – absolutely true and

therefore never needs to be corrected

• Scientism – Belief that science is the only way to know anything

Characteristics of Scientific Thinking• Commitment to Certain Presupposition• Idea that a person takes for granted, they assume to be true• You presuppose (suppose it to be true, prior to using it)

• 5 major presuppositions in order for knowledge to be possible• Laws of Logic – a correct standard of reasoning• Absolute morality – standard of morals• Reliability of senses – you can trust your observations• Reliability of memory – you can trust what you did in the past• Uniformity of nature – repetitions, patterns, order

Worldviews• A worldview is made up of presuppositions• Tells you how to interpret observations, and act accordingly

• Secular Scientists use the worldview of Naturalism• Matter and the laws of nature are all that exist• If you can’t see it, taste it, touch it, it doesn’t exist• Time and chance gives you what you see today

• The Biblical Worldview is based on Scripture• God made the world and everything in it• The word is fallen into a tragic state because of sin• God is working to redeem the world to Himself

Thinking Christianly about Thinking Scientifically • Curiosity in the Glory of God• Romans 11:33• “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of

God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

• Psalm 19• 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament

shows and proclaims His handiwork.• 2 Day after day pours forth speech, and night after night shows

forth knowledge.• 3 There is no speech nor spoken word [from the stars]; their

voice is not heard.• 4 Yet their voice [in evidence] goes out through all the earth,

their sayings to the end of the world.

Thinking Christianly about Thinking Scientifically • Caution Controlled by Scripture• The Bible encourages us to think critically• 1 John 4:1• “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world”

• Scripture is the basis of knowledge• Proverbs 1:7• “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Thinking Christianly about Thinking Scientifically • Commitment to Christian Presuppositions• Only in them do we find what science cannot tell us• Only in the Bible do we find the answer to the 5 presuppositions for knowledge to be possible

• Laws of Logic - reflection of God’s mind on His work – Image of God• Absolute morality – God defined – Image of God• Reliability of senses – Image of God• Reliability of memory – Image of God• Uniformity of nature – Gen 8:22 - a help for His creation

1B Why Study Life Science• Dominion Mandate• God created all things for His Own Glory• Romans 11• 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.     To him be the glory forever! Amen.

•Where do we see God’s Glory?• In the World of Living Things• Our work of Dominion: Genesis 1• 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:

and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

God Cursed Living Things Because of Sin• Spiritual Effects of the fall led to Physical and Emotional Effects of the

falls• Genesis 2: 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not

eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”• Genesis 3: 17 And to Adam he said,• “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

    and have eaten of the treeof which I commanded you,    ‘You shall not eat of it,’cursed is the ground because of you;     in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;    and you shall eat the plants of the field.19 By the sweat of your face    you shall eat bread,till you return to the ground,    for out of it you were taken;for you are dust,    and to dust you shall return.”

God Cursed Living Things Because of Sin• Spiritual Effects of the fall• Dead spiritually to God• Sin nature

• Physical Effects of the fall• Disease• Hard work• Death• Cancer

• Mental Effects of the fall• Anguish• Stress• Hatred• Depression• Autism

God is Redeeming This World to Himself• Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman,    and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”• Ezekiel 18:20 - The soul who sins shall die.

• Jesus Christ is the leading role of this work of Redemption• 4 Truths of this world• Love• Hate• Justice• Forgiveness

• All 4 come together at the Cross of Jesus Christ

God is Redeeming This World to Himself• Relieving Human Suffering and proclaiming the Gospel• Through study of Life Sciences• Medicine• Cures• Feeding the hungry • New / cost effective technologies

• Reclaiming Life science for God’s Glory• Romans 12• 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed

by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God

1C What do Scientists do?• Methods of Science• The Scientific Method• 1. Establish the problem• 2. Form a hypothesis• 3. Test the hypothesis• 4. Classify and Analyze the data• 5. Choose and Verify the Answer • 6. Predict Outcomes

Establish the Problem• Must fall into the limitations of Science• 2 things usually done to establish the problem• Background research• Problem growing a certain type of plant, I might do research on the

type of plant

• Limits or Defines the problem• After researching on the certain type of plant I think it might be the

amount of Nitrogen in the soil

Form a Hypothesis• Educated guess• If I reduce the amount of Nitrogen in the soil of my plant, then it will grow larger

• If p, then q

•Where p is reducing the amount of nitrogen in the soil• And q is it will grow larger

Test the Hypothesis• You experiment – collect data• Experiment• Attempts to control all the factors or conditions of two or more groups. • One factor will be altered – this is called the experimental variable

• Control group – lacks experimental variable• Experimental group – has experimental variable

• In the case of the plants, the experimental variable would be• Amount of nitrogen

Classify and Analyze the Data• Data is the information received from your experiment• There are 2 categories of Data• Quantitative – quantity – numbers, statistics• Graphs – show direct relationships

• Qualitative – quality – quality and type of data • Surveys – observation of many entities – general scope

• Classifying data is arranging it so that relationships can be seen

Choose and Verify the Answer• Verifiability• Verified answers are ones that the person solving the problem is more confident in its correctness• Additional data• Repeating the experiment

• Repeatable, verifiable answers are workable• An answer that can be used • – often models are classified by their workability

Predict Outcomes• If I know how much nitrogen helped my plants to grow, then I know in the future how much nitrogen to use on other plants

• If p, then q, q therefore p

•Where p is reducing the amount of nitrogen in the soil• And q is it will grow larger

• I reduced the amount of nitrogen in the soil and it will grow larger, it grew larger, therefore reduced nitrogen is what caused it to grow

Limitations of the Scientific Method• The statement I made• If p, then q; p therefore q• Is a logical fallacy – which means it is logically invalid/wrong

• The Scientific Method is a logical fallacy• It only works so well because God upholds the universe in a logical order

• Humans also are not perfect, we make mistakes