[VadeRetro]

Methodological naturalism is simply applied philosophical naturalism.

Even many people who suspect philosophical naturalism maybe be empty or even false will admit that methodological naturalism is necessary for science. It's basically what science is about, the study of nature.

You may not be able to study the "supernatural" but you can rule out natural causes.

As a practical matter, it's never happened so far. "Natural causes" in the investigation of a death does not mean the same as "natural causes" as opposed to "unnatural causes." Maybe if God popped out from somewhere, said "Here I am!", and started doing sufficiently wonderful magic we could eliminate "natural" causes. Or maybe we would just be discovering more than we had known before about what "natural" includes.

Anyway, we don't have anything like that problem. Science has to do its job and will. People who think the world runs some other way are simply not interested in science and would be more honest to butt out rather than pretend they have the real facts.

[Ahban]

"Even many people who suspect philosophical naturalism maybe be empty or even false will admit that methodological naturalism is necessary for science. It's basically what science is about, the study of nature."

It is NOT necessary, for science, its only necessary for NATURALISM posing as science. It is a choice in advance to refuse to consider all possiblities regardless of where the evidence might take you. Its a dogma.

"Maybe if God popped out from somewhere, said "Here I am!", and started doing sufficiently wonderful magic we could eliminate "natural" causes. Or maybe we would just be discovering more than we had known before about what "natural" includes."

Ahha! What you said right there! What is now thought of as "supernatural" may one day be found to be nature on a higher plane of existince, if inquiry in that direction is not squelched by naturalists posing as scientists saying "we can't investigate that, its not a scientific hypothesis".

[Doctor Stochastic]

Natural Causes is an undetectable and invariably fatal disease. You never hear doctors saying "He's got a bad case of Natural Causes." You do hear "He died of Natural Causes."

A good assassin never commits homicide; he commits Natural Causes.