Re: [pcp-discuss:] Re:: "Intelligent Design"

From: John J. Kineman (jjk@NGDC.NOAA.GOV)
Date: Wed Jun 07 2000 - 20:43:57 BST

  • Next message: Francis Heylighen: "Re: [pcp-discuss:] Fwd: "Intelligent Design" lobby Congress against Darwinism"

    Alexi, Francis, et al.;

    At 01:02 PM 6/2/00 -0500, you wrote:
    ......
    >>But although I am willing to embrace the term "intelligence", I still want
    >>to avoid "design" because that would eliminate the intrinsic creativity
    >>and unpredictability that is the most fascinating aspect of evolution.
    >
    >It depends on what is viewed as a source of design. Design may be the
    >result of creativity
    >in evolutionary systems themselves. Design does not need to be external.
    >
    >-Alexei

    Yes. This is the same point I would make too. If the "designer" is a function
    of the organism and its larger context together, i.e, the whole system, it
    need
    not be pre-ordaned. In fact, it cannot be so. Living nature becomes something
    that is involved in inventing itself - hence it is fundamentally not
    determined
    in advance. That leaves room for creativity and free will, yet does not result
    in an external God. If one chooses to interpret the undefined as the domain of
    God, then one would also have to include organisms themselves in that domain
    (which most religions would not agree to). I believe it is the external
    concept
    of God that is actually the problematic part socially, scientifically, and
    politically. The involved concept of God has its poor uses as well, but mainly
    is rejected because of the tremendous responsibility it implies for
    participants.

    -----------------------------------------------
    John J. Kineman, Physical Scientist/Ecologist
    National Geophysical Data Center
    325 Broadway E/GC1 (Rm 1B158)
    Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA
    (303) 497-6900 (phone)
    (303) 497-6513 (fax)
    jjk@ngdc.noaa.gov (email)
    web site: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/habitat.shtml

    ========================================
    Posting to pcp-discuss@lanl.gov from "John J. Kineman" <jjk@ngdc.noaa.gov>



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Jun 07 2000 - 20:48:03 BST