From: Cmekve@aol.com
Date: Sat Oct 18 2003 - 22:17:14 EDT
In a message dated 10/17/2003 6:47:22 PM Mountain Standard Time,
bnelson301@yahoo.com writes:
> --- Cmekve@aol.com wrote:
> (SNIP)
> >It's true that Phil Johnson is not a scientist or a
> >theologian. As we all
> >know he is a lawyer. It seems to me that the
> >practice of the law routinely
> >insists on and uses methodological naturalism (MN).
> >Does the Discovery Institute
> >have a legal branch that investigates ID in the law?
> > Why not? The answer
> >seems to be that like most, if not all natural
> >theologies, they end up creating a
> >god (Designer) in their own image. Apparently
> >Feuerbach is alive and living
> >in Seattle! :-)
>
> Ah, but law, unless you are talking about Natural Law,
> which has little role in any actual extant legal
> system, is thoroughly designed (although it also
> evolves in a sense), and law studies the designer all
> the time. In Anglo-American legal systems, one such
> study of the designer is referred to as legislative
> intent. ;)
>
> The practice of law also goes beyond MN in lots of
> ways. Lawyers (and judges and juries) infer intent
> from actions all the time. Intent is sort of out of
> the picture in MN, but is integral to many aspects of
> law. The same actions combined with different intent
> can lead to different legal outcomes
I think I see your point, but I'm not sure I completely agree. Basic ethical
positions could well have developed "naturally" as part of the evolutionary
process. I doubt IDers would want to call this "designed", as then they would
have to concede to most of Howard's incisive critiques of ID.
Inferring intent is based on evidence and using our previous experience, i.e.
MN. Also, I can't wait to see the results of a murder trial in which the
defense claims that the case is "irreducibly complex" and that therefore the
death is the result of direct divine intervention. Therefore the defendent should
be acquitted.
Karl
*********************
Karl V. Evans
cmekve@aol.com
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