Negative atheism? (Introduction)

by dhw, Sunday, January 04, 2015, 21:24 (3401 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: This is no more logical than the hypothesis that, miraculously, intelligence began by evolving from interacting energy and matter, and as it evolved, it became increasingly complex (which is the nature of the evolutionary process, if you believe in common descent.) -DAVID: Remember I believe in a guided or planned common descent. -How could I possibly forget? But it is your beliefs that I am questioning.-DAVID: I see nothing in your energy/matter interplay that has guidance. It just happens. This is our difference in thought. You are still very influenced by Darwin.-The fact that you believe in divine guidance does not stop you from believing that humans are able to use their intelligence in order to guide themselves when they make decisions or create innovations. Once intelligence exists, on no matter what level, it can guide itself. The difference in our thought lies in the source and nature of the guidance: yours is sourceless divine intelligence, my hypothetical alternative is evolved and evolving intelligence. (Chance, of course, excludes guidance.) Yes, I am influenced by the agnostic Darwin to the extent that I do not believe in separate creation but in the theory that all life apart from the very first form(s) descended from earlier forms. I am as unconvinced by his hypothesis concerning how this happened (random mutations and gradualism) as I am by your own. I see absolutely no reason why you should denigrate Darwin's influence. It would be equally pointless for me to observe that you are still very influenced by your Jewish upbringing. We are debating ideas, not influences!