Dr H Reflections

Do Humans Reason From Evidence?  

He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. – Proverbs 2:7

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

Evidence-Based Reasoning: The Ideal

Evidence-based reasoning is the practice of analyzing data objectively and drawing conclusions grounded in facts, independent of personal beliefs or emotions. This method necessitates intellectual humility, critical thinking, and a readiness to adjust one’s perspective in light of new information. It emphasizes a commitment to truth over personal bias.

The scientific method serves as a prime example of this ideal, meticulously designed to minimize bias through rigorous observation, experimentation, and peer review. Despite this structured approach, bias, a tendency to interpret information in a way that confirms one’s pre-existing beliefs, can infiltrate even the most objective scientific inquiries. Researchers may unconsciously favor data that aligns with their hypotheses, which highlights the ongoing challenge of maintaining true objectivity.

The Nature of Human Reason

Human reasoning is a complex interaction of logic, emotion, and preconceptions. Do humans reason from evidence? The answer is complicated: sometimes yes, sometimes no. Human reasoning isn’t entirely objective. While some fields of knowledge, like mathematics, are precise and definitive (for example, 2 + 2 = 4), others are far more subjective.

Although humans are capable of reasoning from evidence, much of our decision-making and belief formation is influenced by personal bias. This subjectivity includes factors such as presuppositions, education, socialization, personal ambitions, mental blocks, and what Scriptures refer to as spiritual blindness. The ongoing tension between evidence-based reasoning and these biases is a defining feature of human cognition. Although we have the capacity for logical analysis, our reasoning is often hindered by emotional attachments, cultural influences, and personal experiences. This conflict frequently appears in debates over controversial issues, where all sides may selectively present evidence to support their views, leaving little space for objective discussion.

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is a psychological tendency that affects how people process information. Instead of evaluating all evidence objectively, individuals often focus on data that supports their existing beliefs. This bias causes them to selectively gather information that matches their ideas while ignoring or minimizing evidence that contradicts them.

These beliefs usually come from unverified opinions or assumptions taken as truth by those with similar viewpoints. As a result, confirmation bias not only hampers critical thinking but also creates echo chambers where people are surrounded by like-minded perspectives. This environment reinforces their views without encouraging them to consider opposing viewpoints or the complexities of various issues.

Confirmation Bias and Spiritual Blindness

The Scriptures explore spiritual blindness, a condition that prevents people from recognizing, understanding, and accepting biblical truths. This blindness can hide one’s ability to see beyond the physical world and grasp deeper spiritual insights, ultimately hindering their understanding of the Word of God.

There are spiritual barriers that hinder people from recognizing and accepting the truth of the Gospel. Just as subjective influences can cloud human reasoning, unseen spiritual forces in this world can block spiritual understanding.

The Apostle Paul explains as follows, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4: “If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

REFLECT & PRAY

Confirmation bias is not limited to any particular group or ideology; it is a universal human trait. It operates unconsciously, making it difficult for individuals to recognize their own biases. 

Father, thank You for giving me a mind capable of reasoning and understanding. Thank You for revealing Your Truth to me, allowing me to know who You are, believe in You, and receive forgiveness and everlasting life through the Lord Jesus Christ.

INSIGHT

Non-Biased, Critical Analysis of 21st Century Sacred Cows

Is it feasible to critically assess evolutionary theory by evaluating its merits, logical coherence, probabilistic implications, and supporting empirical evidence?

Evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould once noted that if the “tape of life” were replayed, “the chance becomes vanishingly small that anything like human intelligence” would appear (Gould, 1990). His remark highlights how unlikely it is for evolution to lead to intelligent, sentient human beings.

Similarly, researchers at Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute have suggested that human existence is an extraordinary fluke. They estimated that the likelihood of intelligent life evolving is “exceptionally rare,” with probabilities ranging from 53% to 99.6% that humanity is alone in the universe. In the worst case, there’s only a 0.04% chance that evolution could have happened at all (Tom Bull, http://www.dailystar.co.uk, December 2020).

The concept of “Evolutionary transitions” refers to the changes required for species to evolve. If this model were accurate, we would expect the fossil record to contain millions, or even billions, of transitional forms that document gradual evolutionary steps. However, these transitional forms are mainly absent from the record.

Instead, the fossil record shows sudden appearances of fully formed species rather than gradual, incremental changes predicted by Darwinian evolution. Paleontologists like Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge have noted this phenomenon, coining the term “punctuated equilibrium” to describe the pattern of long periods of stasis (little to no evolutionary change) interrupted by relatively rapid bursts of speciation. This isn’t merely a matter of a few missing links.

The Complexity of Life and the Origin of DNA

Francis Crick, who, along with James Watson, discovered the double-helix structure of DNA, acknowledged the staggering improbability of life’s origin. He stated, “An honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to us now, could only state that in some sense, the origin of life appears at the moment to be almost a miracle, so many are the conditions which would have had to have been satisfied to get it going” (Francis Crick, Life Itself: Its Origin and Nature, 1981).

Evolutionary theory offers an alternative to faith in Intelligent Design. However, some scientists, like George Wald, candidly admit their biases. Wald wrote, “I do not want to believe in God. Therefore, I choose to believe in that which I know is scientifically impossible, spontaneous generation leading to evolution” (George Wald, “Origin, Life and Evolution,” Scientific American, 1978).

The Formulas of Evolution

The formula for evolution, as commonly presented, is:

Time + Chance = Man

An alternative, more critical formula might be:

Nothing + Nobody = Everything

According to evolutionary theory, life and humanity arose without any plan, design, or intelligence. It is proposed that over roughly 4.5 billion years, chance and time alone created intelligent life on Earth.

Worldviews and Presuppositions

Ken Ham highlights the role of worldviews in shaping interpretations of evidence. He writes, “All scientists have the same facts, they have the same worlds, the same fossils, the same living creatures, the same universe. If the ‘facts’ are the same, then how can the explanations be so different?” The answer lies in presuppositions and biases.

Evolutionary scientists begin with the present and attempt to reconstruct the past without considering the intervention or existence of God. This approach is rooted in a humanist worldview, as articulated in the Humanist Manifesto II:

“Humanists still believe that traditional theism, especially faith in the prayer-hearing God, assumed to live and care for persons, to hear and understand their prayers, and to be able to do something about them, is an unproved and outmoded faith.”

“We find insufficient evidence for belief in the existence of a supernatural; it is either meaningless or irrelevant to the question of survival and fulfillment of the human race. As nontheists, we begin with humans, not God, nature, not deity.”

The Evidence for Evolution

What evidence is often cited to support evolution? One common argument for the theory of evolution is that intelligent, sentient humans exist. However, this reasoning can be seen as circular because it relies on the very outcome it tries to explain.

This way of thinking ignores the complexity and unlikelihood of life appearing from random processes.

The Flaws in Evolutionary Reasoning

We assume that humans reason from evidence. However, human reasoning is often influenced by bias, emotion, and preconceived notions.

The advanced computational capabilities of the 21st century have enabled researchers, such as those at Oxford, to demonstrate the mathematical improbability of intelligent life arising by chance. Even Stephen Jay Gould acknowledged the unlikelihood of human intelligence emerging through evolutionary processes.

Despite this, many remain resistant to the Father’s truth. Hardened hearts and the influence of confirmation bias prevent people from recognizing flaws in evolutionary reasoning and turning to the Creator.

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© Dr. H 2025