Final answer:
The principal features controversy relates to the historical debate between science and religious beliefs during the Scientific Revolution, influencing the Enlightenment and challenging traditional worldviews. The controversy continues in modern times with issues like denialism and the acceptance of scientific theories such as plate tectonics and evolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The principal features controversy speaks to the historical debate that arose when the advancement of experimental knowledge during the Scientific Revolution challenged established religious and philosophical views. This tension between science and Islamic theology, and similarly with Christianity, sparked debates about how to reconcile faith with the new scientific understandings of the world. The key principles of scientific thinking, such as the idea that nature can be understood through systematic study and that scientific ideas are open to revision, posed significant challenges to traditional worldviews and paved the way for the Enlightenment.
The ongoing discussion between supernaturalism and naturalism, and science's role in society and its methodology, such as the self-correcting nature of empirical claims, continues to highlight the dynamics between science and religious thought. Examples of scientific ideas with controversial beginnings include Alfred Wegener's theory of plate tectonics and the theory of evolution, which faced initial resistance but have since become widely accepted within the scientific community. Additionally, issues of denialism, where certain groups reject well-supported scientific consensus in favor of radical and controversial ideas, underscore the complexities in public acceptance of scientific knowledge.