First Steps in Science:
ObservingComparing, Contrasting, Classifying and Naming.
"Out of the ground the LORD God
formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought
them to Adam to see what he
would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was
its name."
(Genesis 2:19)
It is clear that Adam had been
created with high intelligence and a spoken language, so that he could receive instruction
from God and speak with Him. In order to name the animals in a sensible way Adam had first
to observe them. He no doubt noted their similarities (comparison) and their differences
(contrast). Then he could arrange them into groups of similar types and give them names
which to some degree indicated their characteristics and their similarities and
differences. These, then, are the rudimentary steps in science--observing, comparing,
contrasting, classifying and naming. So Adam laid the foundations for science there in the
Garden of Eden.
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