Re: Distal vs. proximate: Timing of design events and Pax-6

From: Howard J. Van Till (hvantill@novagate.com)
Date: Fri Apr 27 2001 - 09:20:33 EDT

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    In response to Bob, Tim wrote:

    > I conclude that there is no a priori reason provided to suppose
    > that design events must have stopped or, at least, that we shouldn't
    > consider the possibility that a designer could remain active.

    In the context of this exchange, I presume that the term "design events"
    really means "events in which a non-natural Agent, acting in the manner of
    an artisan, crafts/assembles some particular new organism or biotic
    subsystem," and that the term "designer" really means "extra-natural,
    form-conferring Agent."

    If I have correctly understood these terms, then I agree with Tim. Any
    proposal that the form-conferring actions of this extra-natural Agent must
    be confined to the past (perhaps at an exponentially declining rate) seems
    purely an ad hoc imposition on that Agent's freedom. That does not
    necessarily make it a false proposition, but it must at least be recognized
    as an ad hoc proposal whose applicability is not at all self-evident.

    Howard Van Till



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