Chapter 14: The Genesis Problem

D'Souza expands on issues with biogenesis as well as pointing out the differences between methodological and philosophical atheism. He explains that good scientists attempt to explain natural relationships using only natural means, however this does not entail that only the natural exists. These individuals may examine how neurons or related to mental activity, but they do not have to presuppose that mental activity is only neurons. Philosophical atheism on the other hand assumes that the natural world is all there is, therefore all explanations now and in the future must have a natural cause. An issues between religion and science appears to be only philosophical, because methodologically there is no overlap between the explanations for relationships. For instance, if asked why water is boiling, methodologically a scientist will explain it in terms of heat and the properties of molecules. He  is confined to these sorts of answers. Philosophically though he can use either an atheistic answer or a different sort, for instance the water is boiling because I wanted tea.