McLean V. Arkansas
The epistemic conception of the miraculous does not agree with the definition given in the famous McLean v. Arkansas case. In this case (McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education, 529 F. Supp. 1255, 1258–1264) (ED Ark. 1982), brought in Arkansas, the judge, William Overton, gave a clear, specific definition of science as a basis for ruling that 'creation science' is religion and not science. His judgment defined the essential characteristics of science as being
-
- guided by natural law;
- explanatory by reference to natural law;
- empirically testable;
- tentative in conclusion, i.e. not necessarily the final word;
- falsifiable.
However, an epistemic explanation of miraculous events would satisfy at least the first two definitions.
Read more about this topic: Epistemic Theory Of Miracles
Famous quotes containing the word arkansas:
“The man who would change the name of Arkansas is the original, iron-jawed, brass-mouthed, copper-bellied corpse-maker from the wilds of the Ozarks! He is the man they call Sudden Death and General Desolation! Sired by a hurricane, dam’d by an earthquake, half-brother to the cholera, nearly related to the smallpox on his mother’s side!”
—Administration in the State of Arka, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)