A Liberating Alternative to Methodological Naturalism in Science
Today, hosts Robert J. Marks and Angus Menuge welcome Dr. Robert Larmer to discuss methodological naturalism, the topic of his chapter in Minding the Brain, a recent anthology exploring the mind-body debate. Methodological naturalism is the view that science should only appeal to natural causes and never to supernatural or non-physical causes, even if they exist. Dr. Larmer argues that methodological naturalism is not a neutral principle, as it biases the search for truth by ruling out consideration of non-physical causes a priori. This has problematic implications, he says, including undermining our understanding of agency, rationality, and the nature of consciousness. Larmer contends that methodological naturalism is an obstruction to discovering the truth. Instead, he advocates a more open-minded approach to scientific pursuit, known as “methodological pluralism,” where the best explanation is sought without arbitrary restrictions on the kinds of causes that can be considered.
