1. I would place Neil deGrasse Tyson closer to the scientism side of the scientism-creationism spectrum, but still near the middle of the spectrum. DeGrasse Tyson reveals his agnostic perspective when he says he does not believe in an afterlife because there is no evidence. However, he agrees with Larry King when he calls many believers “sincere and wonderful people”, and does not call them delusional. This respect for others’ beliefs even when he does not agree with them can help the relationship between faith and science.
2. Neil deGrasse Tyson is articulating both materialism and reductionism. He expresses materialism, or that only the things we perceive with our senses are real, when he refuses to believe in an afterlife since …show more content…
I think one of deGrasse Tyson’s biggest errors in his argument during this interview was his statement that since there are many conflicting belief systems, believers do not believe in an objective truth. For this reason, I think deGrasse Tyson views the Truth as a view of the universe that everyone can agree on, or in his words, “applies to everybody.” However, I note a logical flaw in his idea of an objective truth, because he implies that the Truth is dependent on humans. I think that an objective truth must be independent of all perspectives, so therefore the fact that there are conflicting belief systems does not mean that one of them is not the objective …show more content…
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ. They are like God forever, for they ‘see him as he is,’ face to face.” (par. 1023)1. Being “in God’s grace and friendship” in the first place implies that souls which go to heaven must have the freedom to choose to accept God’s grace. As far as we can tell through studying the behavior of plants and animals, they do not exhibit any behaviour that would suggest complete free will to the degree that humans are free. While dogs may seem to make decisions at times, most of their actions are determined by instinct rather than reason. We can infer from God’s message in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground,” that God views humans as superior to the other creatures on Earth, and His knowledge that humans can subdue all other living things, even the more physically powerful ones, shows that humans have a greater intellect than the rest of Creation.2 Because humans have a significantly greater capacity to form a
2. Neil deGrasse Tyson is articulating both materialism and reductionism. He expresses materialism, or that only the things we perceive with our senses are real, when he refuses to believe in an afterlife since …show more content…
I think one of deGrasse Tyson’s biggest errors in his argument during this interview was his statement that since there are many conflicting belief systems, believers do not believe in an objective truth. For this reason, I think deGrasse Tyson views the Truth as a view of the universe that everyone can agree on, or in his words, “applies to everybody.” However, I note a logical flaw in his idea of an objective truth, because he implies that the Truth is dependent on humans. I think that an objective truth must be independent of all perspectives, so therefore the fact that there are conflicting belief systems does not mean that one of them is not the objective …show more content…
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ. They are like God forever, for they ‘see him as he is,’ face to face.” (par. 1023)1. Being “in God’s grace and friendship” in the first place implies that souls which go to heaven must have the freedom to choose to accept God’s grace. As far as we can tell through studying the behavior of plants and animals, they do not exhibit any behaviour that would suggest complete free will to the degree that humans are free. While dogs may seem to make decisions at times, most of their actions are determined by instinct rather than reason. We can infer from God’s message in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground,” that God views humans as superior to the other creatures on Earth, and His knowledge that humans can subdue all other living things, even the more physically powerful ones, shows that humans have a greater intellect than the rest of Creation.2 Because humans have a significantly greater capacity to form a