The Shelf Life of Scientific Theories‏

The Shelf Life of Scientific Theories

Today, many people put their trust in scientists who give us an understanding of nature “as it is.” We accept as absolute truth what science holds to be true. Yes, some effort is made to observe the label "theory" in regards to what much of science tells us, but this is little more than a disclaimer. Gravity is still a theory, but how many people doubt it? This same faith has been applied to many other theories, such as evolution. Scientific speculation and theory have become the foundation of our worldviews, and we seldom ever question the structural integrity of this foundation. After all, if science teaches a particular theory, it is most likely to be true, isn't it? But what if this foundation has a history of disintegrating?

Professor of Philosophy and Scientific History, Dr. Steven L. Goldman of Lehigh University once stated in a lecture that the history of science overwhelmingly demonstrates that theories once considered established are more than likely to become obsolete and discredited over time. He's right. In fact, there are literally hundreds of scientific theories that were rarely even questioned, and yet we now look at them as pseudoscience or merely mistakes of the past. As each century passes, so does the majority of accepted scientific theories held dear in that century. Professor Goldman went on to ask in his lecture, "What is the probability—when we look at 2000 compared to 1900, 1900 compared to 1800, 1800 compared to 1700, 1700 compared to before Descartes and Bacon wrote a word—what is the probability that in 2100, those theories that scientists are telling us today are true will still be around? The probability seems small.

"God tells us in Jeremiah 9:23-24, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom...But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me." Rather than build our worldview on a shifting foundation of scientific theory, we should entrust our lives to Christ and build our lives upon the Rock. Science should reinforce our trust in Christ, but should never become our foundation. As the years pass, theories come and go, and very few will survive the test of time; but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). So next time you hear another scientific assertion—or the next time a scientist makes a statement of fact about something that can only be theorized— take it with a grain of salt. Scientific theories often have an expiration date, but Jesus is forever.

This information was provided on September 14 by

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