Creation and the philosophy of science: Freedom, contingence and the modality of the natural sciences

Abstract

Understanding creation through the theological loci of Christology and Trinitarian theology gives a view of the natural world as both contingent and free. This distinctively Christian view of the natural world carries implications for the natural sciences in terms of philosophical modality. This paper explores three such themes: (i) the nature of reason; (ii) the character of theories; and (iii) the relationship between discursivity and the logic of reality.