Bias

Each of us, whether we are aware of it or not, has a set of fundamental views or beliefs through which we rationalise the world as we experience it. Often subconsciously, we react to observations, propositions or challenges by reference to a belief system we have internalised, even if we have not developed it systematically. This is a ‘worldview’ or a vision of life by which we make sense of things. It also makes us biased in particular directions.

Modern science has adopted a worldview – the philosophical position of naturalism which insists that all aspects of our universe can be understood in purely materialistic terms. This rules out any design in nature, or any supreme intelligence or Creator beyond Nature. Often this is presented as the position which emerges from scientific investigation. But it is not. It is a philosophy imposed on the scientific data and it distorts the evidence. Intelligent Design argues that we should not be bound by an a priori assumption in interpreting scientific data about the origin and nature of the universe, but rather that we should, following Socrates, go where the evidence leads.