In a message dated 11/7/01 9:34:16 AM, hvantill@novagate.com writes:
<<Bob: my purpose at the moment is not to argue for or against your "staged
development" concept as a useful heuristic framework, but just to understand
precisely what your concept entails. Let's focus on the last part of your
post:
[snip]
<<HVT: It's clear that I still do not understand what sort of divine action
you're talking about.
[snip]
<< HVT: Bob, I honestly don't know how to understand this. How does
irreducible
complexity -- the new dimension in this case -- get added if not by divine
action of the sort that imposes new structures on some system that was,
presumably, unable to achieve that structure by the use of its own
formational capabilities? If that's the way the new structure gets
actualized, then isn't that supernatural action (Griffin sense)? >>
-----------------------------
Howard,
I think you have trouble understanding my position because of the terms you
use to characterize it in formulating your questions. You interpreted my view
of divine action as dealing with *structures*-- "impose new structures on
some system," and "unable to achieve that structure" and "new structures get
actualized."
Actually, I said that divine action deals in purposes, teleonomy, complexity,
and stages. I never used the words structure, or system, or actualization.
Yet you ascribe them to me and that makes it difficult for us to communicate.
Perhaps I can clarify my position by adopting your terminology. Let me say
then that what divine action adds is *new formational capabilities* to
creation. These are not random, haphazard additions. Rather, they are added
in a planned sequence. After a given stage has completed its purposes, new
formational capabilities are added, and the transition is made to a new stage
of creational development. Each new stage builds on the accomplishments of
the previous one and adds increased complexity to creation.
Stage one: Prebiotic stage. In this stage the universe as a whole, and plane
t earth in particular are made ready for the appearance of life (as seen in
the anthropic principle and the rare earth hypothesis). There is nothing,
however, in the prebiotic stage that would predict that single-cell life
would be formed in the next stage. New formational capabilities needed to be
added.
Stage two: Cellular life. Divine action adds *new formational capabilities*
to creation at this time that initiates this second developmental stage. The
first cell is formed, and single cellular life takes off, using the abundant
physical and chemical resources prepared in stage one.
Stage Three: Complex metazoan life. Divine action adds more new formational
capabilities at this time. The result: is the formation of body plans of the
founders of the great animal families (phyla) that have inhabited the world
in the last half-billion years or so. These complex metazoans employ the
building blocks of individual cells from the previous stage, but in new and
unpredictable ways.
Stage Four: Self-conscious sentient life. Again divine action adds new
formational capabilities to complex metazoan life to form human beings.
(Here we are let in on the cosmic secret that these human being were created
in the image of the divine actor.)
Some of these stages can undoubtedly be subdivided into finer sub-stages.
How are divine action and creaturely action related? No one really knows. I
take a cue from Rom. 4:17 in describing the actions of God, "who calls into
existence things that do not exist." This sounds to me like continuing,
planned divine action, not a once-and-for-all call.
Bob
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Nov 10 2001 - 06:41:11 EST