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Religious Science in Plantingaʹs View

Alvin Plantinga holds that what we know as scientific theories, namely, those that are discussed in scientific journals and societies, sometimes are not true unless we accept some atheistic presuppositions. These metaphysical atheistic presuppositions are not the result of mere observation and experience, but are tacitly used in the procedure of scientific research. Using atheistic presuppositions in a scientific theory, in the current situation of science, is not incoherent with the theory being called "scientific". So, what is perplexing is why Christian scientists have not been allowed to use their theistic presuppositions in their scientific enterprises. This paper explains and analyzes the procedure for showing the plausibility of religious science in the works of Alvin Plantinga. While allowing the possibility of Duhemian science based on methodological naturalism, he shows some counterexamples to it and in conclusion denies its accuracy in the real world. The last section of the paper suggests some criticisms of Plantingaʹs conception of religious science.