Brain expansion (Evolution)

by David Turell , Sunday, May 31, 2020, 15:59 (1419 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: There is no reason to assume that your God could not have designed a mechanism (cellular intelligence) that would enable brains and other organs and organisms to restructure themselves “naturally” and autonomously in response to new requirements. You are against it because it runs contrary to your image of an all-controlling God, not because it is unreasonable in itself. I have no problem with the idea that intelligent instructions come from the genome and are carried out by the rest of the cell or the cell community in an ongoing process of cooperation. Your insistence that what looks like intelligence is in fact automatic is purely a matter of opinion even though you state it as if it were a fact.

DAVID: It is my opinion and I accept it as fact, because I find it much more logical of the two possibilities, as a design theorist.

dhw: Design theory has nothing to do with it. A God who designs an autonomous mechanism for change is no less a designer than a God who designs every change himself. Accepting one’s own opinion as fact is just about as unscientific a principle – not to mention other contexts of human life - as anyone can imagine.

A designer with purpose will make sure a design mechanism will follow His guidelines.

dhw: You believe that your God invented a mechanism to allow autonomous complexification. Why, then do you believe he could not have invented an autonomous mechanism for expansion? Your previous answer was: “God could but He would have careful guidelines…”. The guidelines turn out to be the exact opposite of autonomous, so please explain the above restriction to his capabilities.

DAVID: Explained: all advances in evolution carefully coded in the genome that contains an IM. God, totally in charge, knows where He wants evolution to progress and how it should be done.

dhw: This does not explain why he couldn’t have invented an autonomous mechanism for expansion. It merely repeats your belief that he didn’t but instead either provided the first living cells with a programme for all advances in evolution, including brain expansion, or personally fiddled with the genome of every organ/organism that needed adjusting.

My guesses as to how God controls evolution I admit are my guesses. An autonomous mechanism would come with guidelines. Autonomy for me implies use it or don't use it as you wish. My God would not allow just any possible variety of result and drive evolution off His desired course.