Fw: [asa] AIG argues (again) for design

----- Original Message -----=20
From: Michael Roberts=20
To: Iain Strachan=20
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2006 9:41 PM
Subject: Re: [asa] AIG argues (again) for design

Darwin had a few problems here as I wrote in Darwin's Doubts about =
Design (Sci and Xn Belief 1997)

Darwin had sent Gray a complimentary copy of the Origin in November
1859 =
and Gray, who had known of Darwin's natural selection theory for
several =
years, soon made his basic acceptance clear to Darwin. In the first
part =
of 1860 Gray was both arranging the publication of the Origin in the =
U.S.A. and writing a favourable review for the Atlantic Monthly. =
Frequent letters passed between them mostly on these preceeding
matters, =
but also openly discussing more religious matters. In a letter dated =
22nd May Darwin aired his problems over suffering. Unfortunately the =
letter from Gray dated 7th May has not been found. Darwin's letter
dealt =
first with matters of the American edition and then of recent reviews, =
refering to negative ones by Sedgwick, Clarke, Duns and Owen. The
second =
part of the letter deals with 'the theological view of the question'
and =
Darwin dealt with theological rather than scientific problems, stating =
'I cannot see, as plainly as others do,.... evidence of design and =
beneficence.' He could not see how a good God could have created an =
Ichneumon fly or allowed cats to play with mice. Ichneumonidae lay
their =
eggs in live caterpillars which remain alive until the larvae pupate, =
and gave the basis for the SF film Alien! It is difficult not to feel =
the force of Darwin's argument as he required a benificient theodicy, =
and could not reconcile 'Nature Red in tooth and claw' with a loving =
God. To Darwin God not only had to be an Intelligent Designer, He also =
had to be a Loving Designer.

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             Many of Darwin's scientific predecessors, however, did
not =
feel the problem of suffering so keenly as is evidenced by those who =
wrote the Bridgewater Treatises a generation earlier. The Bridgewaters =
represent the height of design and evidential theology in the 1830s.
All =
the authors were Christian, mostly clergy. At least two discussed =
suffering. Buckland, the Oxford Geologist, who in the 1820s was the =
foremost proponent of Diluvialism, wrote On Geology and Mineralogy =
which, according to Jon Topham, was the biggest seller of the eight
and =
found in many mechanics' institutes (27 ). This treatise presented the =
geological and palaeontological understanding of the mid-1830s through =
the eyes of one of geology's foremost Anglican exponents. By 1835 =
Buckland had rejected his diluvialism and in 1838 became convinced of =
the Ice Ages proposed by Agassiz, following a visit to the Jura. =
Theologically Buckland was close to moderate Evangelicalism as was his =
friend Edward Copleston of Oriel College, whom Simeon considered to =
share all his essential beliefs. In the 1820s Buckland was encouraged
by =
the Evangelical theologians J.B.Sumner (Archbishop of Canterbury =
1848-62) and G.S.Faber, and by the ultra-conservative Bishop Shute =
Barrington of Durham (28 ). To Buckland and many contemporary =
Evangelicals predation did not contradict the beneficience of God, as
is =
shown by Chap XIII of his Bridgewater Treatise; 'Aggregate of Animal =
Enjoyment increased, and that of Pain diminished, by the existence of =
Carnivorous Races'. Neither did they accept that passages such as =
Genesis 3 or Romans 8 raised problems for the concept of predation
(28 ) =
Buckland is echoing Paley's view of suffering in Natural Theology
where =
he says without predation we would 'see the world filled with
drooping, =
superannuated, half-starved, helpless and unhelped animals' (29 ).

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             William Kirby's On the History, Habits and instincts of =
Animals (1835 ) was unique among the Bridgwaters for adopting a young =
earth position to the consternation of other writers. The introductory =
chapter claimed that all strata were laid down in the Flood. Kirby was =
the leading early 19th century entomologist and his work was widely
used =
by Darwin. This is borne out by his correspondence with the Rev John =
Rodwell in late 1860, describing cats and blind rats and how these =
supported the ideas in the Origin. On discovering that Kirby was =
Rodwell's uncle he wrote,'whom I for as long as I can remember have =
venerated'. In 1818 Kirby and Spence had written a four volume =
Introduction to Entymology of which Darwin had a heavily annotated
copy. =
As his was the first edition he probably used it for his beetlemania
at =
Cambridge. In the second volume of his Bridgwater Treatise Kirby =
described the Ichneumon and how they destroy pests 'by the goodness of =
Providence'(30 ). The chapter on insects speaks of them demonstrating =
the beneficence of God in their beauty, design and behaviour,
something =
Darwin could not accept. However in his letter to Gray on 22nd May
1860 =
it is far more likely that Darwin was thinking of Kirkby's account in =
his Entymology rather than his Bridgewater, as the former was one of =
Darwin's most used texts. Kirkby described how, 'The active Ichneumon =
braves every danger, and does not desist until her courage and address =
have insured subsistence for one of her future progeny'(31).

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             Thus Darwin wrote 'With respect to the theological view
of =
the question .... I am bewildered' as 'There seems to be too much
misery =
in the world'. A few lines further he wrote,'On the other hand I
cannot =
..... conclude that everything is a result of brute force' (21 May =
1860). Perhaps like William Blake, Darwin could accept that God =
'designed' the lamb, but did not frame the 'fearful symmetry' of the =
tyger (32 ). As Blake's biographer wrote "Few poems have been =
scrutinised so closely", and one reading is that a benevolent God made =
the lamb but not the tyger. Among critics, there is little agreement
to =
its meaning. However his Book of Urizen seems to accept two creators
one =
benevolent and Urizen the other, thus providing a mythological dualism =
to explain the negative in creation (33 ).

             Suffering was an insuperable problem for belief to
Darwin, =
and in the face of it he was left bewildered as to whether a
beneficient =
God could have designed a world with so much animal pain. Darwin's =
theodicy was a baffled reverent agnosticism; Buckland and Kirkby =
regarded animal suffering as God's intention for the natural order,
but =
this became less acceptable in a post-Chloroform society (34).

=20

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Received on Thu Oct 5 23:10:44 2006