The inference that all things are designed by God is not based on faith but
on the study of the data that describes what nature is and how it works. Of
course, without faith there can be no form of knowledge. But I suppose you
mean something more akin to religious faith when you invoke the word
"faith." The data is not subjective since it is gathered by non-human
devices, albeit made by humans. The inference of design is subjective but is
compelling from the data. As I sit in my office and look around, everything
in it is designed. Why not so in nature? Operationally I define as objective
the data gathered by non-human devices and subjective is the inferences that
man makes. Most people find in more self-evident that there is a Creator
than not. Moorad
-----Original Message-----
From: Lucy Masters <masters@cox-internet.com>
To: asa@calvin.edu <asa@calvin.edu>
Date: Thursday, May 24, 2001 12:07 AM
Subject: [Fwd: [Fwd: Griffin #2]]
>Hi, Bill:
>
>In response to your question, "...what's wrong with design?" First, I
>would agree with you that all things in the universe are designed by
>God. However, that is a statement of faith.
>
>I am strongly opposed to the "design movement," "intelligent design,"
>and so on for many reasons, but chief among them: (a) it involves no
>faith but looks for proof instead (I believe faith precludes proof - I
>mean - who needs faith if you have proof?), and (b) it assumes that
>design exists objectively. In other words, Dempski does not seem to
>share my viewpoint that all appearances of "design" are purely
>subjective.
>
>My experiences with cognitive psychology have led me to conclude that
>all the examples Dembski provides as objective truth of design are
>simply subjective viewpoints. I wish I were smart enough to write a
>wonderful treatise on this subject, but I'm not. A couple of other
>fellows wrote a nice book on the subject of objective vs. subjective
>design issues - geared for cognitive folks and not theologians. In
>light of the "design debate," it might be interesting for
>science/religion folks to give it a twirl: "Where Mathematics Comes
>From: How the Embodied Mind Brings Mathematics into Being" by George
>Lakoff and Rafael E. Nunez.
>
>Lucy
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu May 24 2001 - 09:46:06 EDT