This overview consists of four main sub-sections: i.e., what Pope Pius XII has taught about Scientists, Science, Applied Science and Pseudo-Science. It is the intention to hold up Einstein’s approach (in the final three sections of this article) against the contents of the four following sub-sections.
| A. | SCIENTISTS |
|---|---|
| 1. | Science must lead the scientist to God and to belief in a Personal Being. [HG, 1950]. |
| 2. | Scientists must consider Nature as the Book of God and themselves as privileged to read it. [1948, 1955]. |
| 3. | The Book of Nature is composed of letters and footprints of God which are the facts that disclose the work of God.[1948, 1955]. |
| 4. | Scientists must read and discover in this Book of Nature God’s intentions. [1955]. |
| 5. | The laws and order discovered in Nature must lead scientists to the acceptance of a Divine Law, of God’s central law with Nature and to the Natural Law. [HG; 1948] |
| 6. | A law of Nature is not imposed on Nature and is not to be imposed on Nature. [1948]. |
| 7. | Statistical laws (i.e. mathematical calculations) must not be confused by scientists with laws in nature. The former are not real. [1948 in 3 places]. |
| 8. | In searching out the facts in science (Nature), scientists have the intellectual problem of submitting their insights to God’s transcending Truth. [1957]. |
| 9. | Apart from intellectual problems, even pure scientists (astronomers) have a moral problem. [1957(1) in two places; see also conscience in 1956]. |
| B. | SCIENCE |
|---|---|
| 10. | True science does exist. [1951]. |
| 11. | Its methods are well known: [1951; 1957]. |
| (a) to verify theory by new observations; | |
| (b) to correct theory when necessary; | |
| (c) to replace theory by another that is more perfect; | |
| (d) taking account of acquired data. | |
| 12. | True science is objective. [1948 in 6 places]. |
| 13. | True science will not treat its abstractions as objective. [1948]. |
| 14. | Evolution as a fact is not found in real science. [HG]. |
| 15. | Polygenism is no scientific fact and so is outside science. [HG]. |
| 16. | Uniformitarianism is no scientific fact and is outside science.[HG]. |
| 17. | True science will establish the fact of a universal Flood. [HG]. |
| 18. | True science will not clash with Genesis. [1951]. |
| 19. | True science will accept the corrections from Sacred Scripture. [1958]. |
| 20. | The foundation of all science lies in Philosophy and so outside science itself. [1955]. |
| 21. | But true science is a foundation for philosophical argument. [1951]. |
| 22. | The unifying concept (the Synthesis, the ‘One Design’) amongst the various sciences: |
| (a) exists in reality, [1948 1955] | |
| (b) but outside this multiformity, [1951 1955] | |
| (c) making science fruitful by letting culture beget an organic doctrine [1955]. |
| C. | APPLIED SCIENCES |
|---|---|
| 23. | True science is never applied (imposed) in an impersonal manner. [1952]. |
| 24. | It supports the State as a community of responsible citizens. [1952]. |
| 25. | It never locks itself in a circular argument between end and method. [1952]. |
| 26. | It never goes beyond the barriers inherent in matter. [1953]. |
| 27. | It will not call ‘real’ the partial projection of life on reality of pseudo-science (“the spirit of technology”). [1953]. |
| 28. | It accepts the dictates of an individual and social moral conscience in all the applications of its findings. [1956]. |
| D. | PSEUDO-SCIENCE. |
|---|---|
| 29. | Will not accept the characteristics of True Science outlined above [10- 22]. |
| 30. | Does not admit the existence of a Superior Being. [1948]. |
| 31. | Will not accept an Absolute Order or a Grand Design in Nature. [1948]. |
| 32. | It confuses ‘subjective’ with ‘objective’. [1948]. |
| 33. | It will not be able to handle the ensuing fragmentation (which will be further compounded when it enforces facts to suit the theory). [as above]. |
| 34. | It will neither admit nor obey the barriers of matter. [1953]. |
| 35. | It puts man into a frame of mind unfavourable for searching for and finding supernatural Truth. [1953]. |
| 36. | It interferes with the sound sense of judgement. [1953]. |
| 37. | It arrests the intellectual life. [1953]. |
| 38. | The distorted vision it offers contains a basic falsehood. [1953]. |
| 39. | It accepts as ‘real’ its partial projection of life on reality. [1953]. |
| 40. | It is bound to make the dividing line between ‘science’ and ‘philosophy’ indistinguishable, turning its own (faulty) scientific outlook into the only brand of philosophy it will acknowledge. [1955]. |
| 41. | It rejects the idea of a scientific conscience. [1956]. |
| 42. | Believing itself self-sufficient, it becomes a snare in its rejection of being subjected to a moral universe which transcends it. [1957]. |
| 43. | Its other tenets are condemned in ‘The Syllabus of Errors’. |
| 44. | Its arrogance and delusion are branded by Pope LEO XIII. |
| 45. | It will impose its own ‘laws of Nature’ on Nature. [1948]. |
| 46. | It will not accept that the reasons for and against its observations and conclusions must be weighed and adjudged with all seriousness, fairness and restraint. [HG]. |
| 47. | It is bound to be uniformitarian. [HG]. |
The Papal Teaching just overviewed is the basis for the following assessment of Einstein’s claims and statements; and for placing those claims and statements in their true perspective ....