"Philosopher Kenneth Samples has identified a set of truths that cannot be verified algorithmically or scientifically: logical truths, metaphysical truths, and objective moral truths. Some truths must simply be accepted to be able to do science at all." - Reasons to Believe
"what if we do manage to create a language model that can’t be distinguished from a human; a model that passes the Turing test?... Even if the AI is not sentient, the implications are serious." - Reasons
"As members of the institutions both tout and hide behind their credentialism, their obviously ideological positions shred the public’s faith in their credentials. The rise and fall of Anthony Fauci is illustrative of this trend." - CPost
"According to their model, RNA molecules would have assembled on early Earth when ocean water replete with ribonucleotides washed over pieces of glass located on volcanic islands. But a careful assessment of their work shatters this illusion." - Reasons.org
"A recent long-form essay in The Guardian signals just how urgent the problem has become for the most dominant theory in the history of the sciences. In it, author Stephen Buranyi, gives voice to a growing number of scientists who think it’s time for a 'new theory of evolution.'" - Breakpoint
Some time ago, I came across Samuel Gregg’s book while perusing items at Acton.org, and the title caught my eye. In my personal efforts to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), I’ve frequently felt that I don’t yet have an adequate understanding of the relationship between faith and reason, and by extension, the relationship between the sciences and Scripture.
The book didn’t take me where I hoped to go on that topic. It did, however, provide an interesting and enjoyable survey of the history of Western thought, and one of the better interpretations of the role of reason and Christianity in Western thought.
Samuel Gregg is the director of research at the Acton Institute and has degrees in philosophy from the University of Melbourne (MA) and Oxford (PhD). Though he has written a pile of books, mostly on economics, his focus in this volume is more history-focused than I expected. Though the hardcover edition has 256 pages, I also felt that it ended at just about the point where there should have been several more chapters on various views of the relationship between faith and reason and analysis of supporting arguments—as well as more consideration of potential strategies for preserving what remains of Western Civilization.
Chapters six and seven do address these topics, and they aren’t a bad start, but I was hoping for a deeper and more comprehensive exploration.
