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How can a world that is the product of...?
...blind, purposeless, random natural processes account for and justify the crucial conditions that make the scientific enterprise possible?
6 Answers
- BruceLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
Good question. A world that is an accidental product of blind, purposeless, random natural processes could hardly be the designer earth in which an intelligent, rational species with free will develops scientific knowledge.
Astronomy is a perfect example. The manifold "coincidences" that permit astronomy defy an explanation of chance. We live in a spiral galaxy out in an arm, allowing an examination of other galaxies. Our planet has a transparent atmosphere. The moon perfectly conceals the sun in a solar eclipse.
And of course, the greatest "coincidence" of all is that somehow inanimate matter morphed into human agents capable of astronomy.
I don't have enough faith to be an atheist.
Cheers,
Bruce
- AgenaLv 51 decade ago
The answer usually given is to invoke the "Anthropic principle" in the form which can be stated as: "If it hadn't happened that way, we wouldn't be here, but it did, so we are,", usually, I'm afraid, followed by an unspoken "Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah".
If all teleological arguments are rejected a priori, this suffices.
My personal view is that intelligence was somehow involved, just not IAW Genesis 1 and 2 as written. I sometimes outrage both sides in arguments about this by remarking, "Oh, no, God produced us by a special act of creation, using cheap, readily available, off the shelf monkey parts".
Source(s): A good overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle Deeper philosophy: http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/tele... Deals with "anthropic reasoning", a separate problem: http://www.anthropic-principle.com/ - 1 decade ago
in the scientific community, all the reasoning or inventions or discoveries are enclosed and backed by a strong and perfect theory or the way the people could understand it more easily.... also the reasoning inside everyone asks for a better reason to accept what it wants to accept....
Source(s): my knowledge - Facts MatterLv 71 decade ago
Not random. Selection is natural but is very non-random.
This is a common creationist argument, and fallacious for the reason I stated.
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- 1 decade ago
To be, or not to be, that is the question. If you are, you ask questions, if you are not, then who cares.