Philosophy of Religion Mind Mapping Project
New Design Arguments
Attachments:
Stanford Encyclopedia article on New Design Arguments
Defense of Creationism
Design Argument Discussion Forum
To Navigation Map
To Design Argument Map
To Traditional Design Argument Map
Article by V. Harrison (pdf file)
1: Arguments from Physics (God explains the laws)
1.1: Paul Davies
Attachments:
Paul Davies' Home Page
Wikipedia on Paul Davies
Books by Paul Davies
1.1.1: Why do we have one set of laws of nature rather than another?
Davies believes that physicists have discovered the laws that govern natural phenomena whil failing to explain why one set of laws governs the physical world rather than another. Thus, he claims that the idea of God can still be invoked as the best explanation for the particular configuration of natural laws that physicists have discovered. See P. Davies, The Mind of God (1993).
1.1.2: Theology provides deeper a explanation than science
1.2: Keith Ward
Attachments:
About Keith Ward
Interview with Keith Ward
Ward on Scientific Understanding and the Point of the Universe
1.2.1: Science describes, theology explains
According to Ward, the more that science reveals about the structure of the universe, the more improbable the existence of the universe becomes, and, hence, the more it stands in need of a theological explanation.
1.2.2: The God-hypothesis best explains the evolution of sentient life-forms
Ward argues that the theory of evolution by natural selection on its own does not allow us to conclude that the existence of sentient life-forms is more probable than not. Adding the hypothesis of a God who sets up the process of mutation with the intention of bringing sentient life into being does, however, make the existence of such life-forms probable. And, as it is the mark of a good theory that it makes the facts to be explained probable, the God-hypothesis, argues Ward, is superior to the hypothesis of natural selection considered alone.
1.2.3: Explanations show how the explanandum is more probable
Keith Ward argues that the existence of a universe such as this one–one that exhibits structural simplicity, mathematical elegance and integration–is so improbable that it: 'would be reasonable to accept any postulate that would make it more probable. The postulate that raises its probability to the highest degree is the postulate that some mind…intends to bring into existence a physical realm which actualises a subset of elegant possibilities. That would explain with complete adequacy the extraordinary precision of the Big Bang that began this universe'. God, Chance & Necessity (1996), p. 46.
1.2.4: Problem: The notion of God is transformed
A closer look at Ward's argument reveals that the key religious concept 'God' at work in his theory has undergone a startling transformation in response to a certain scientific worldview, and the role that God is thought to play in our world, in Ward's view, is itself constrained by what is possible according to the scientific worldview in question. In short, Ward conceives God as 'the sustainer of a network of dynamic interrelated energies', and, as such, God 'might well be seen as the ultimate environing non-material field which draws from material natures a range of the potentialities which lie implicit within them.' (See God, Chance & Necessity, 1996, p. 57. Thus, in explaining how religion and science can be complementary, Ward has been compelled to re-conceptualise 'God'.
Mental Connections:
---- Generally the notion of God arrived at differs from traditional notions of God
2: Arguments From Biology
2.1: Holmes Rolston III
Attachments:
About Holmes Rolston III
Rolston's Biographical Note
Downloads and Reviews of Genes, Genesis and God
2.1.1: Mechanism of evolution needs to be explained
2.1.2: What is the source of the information encoded in DNA?
Attachments:
S.C. Meyer, 'DNA and the Origin of Life'
2.1.3: God is the Ground of Information, the anti-entropic principle
Rolston claims that a 'more plausible explanation' of the origin of genetic information than that offered by science alone 'is that…there is a Ground of Information, or an Ambience of Information, otherwise known as God'. Genes, Genesis and God (1999), p. 359.
Mental Connections:
---- Generally the notion of God arrived at differs from traditional notions of God
2.2: Michael Behe
Attachments:
About Michael Behe
About Behe's book, Darwin's Black Box
Links to Articles by Behe
Audio/visual lecture by Behe
Mental Connections:
---- Intelligent Design
2.2.1: Irreducible Complexity
'A single system which is composed of several interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, and where the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning'. Michael Behe, Darwin's Black Box (1996), p. 9.
Attachments:
About Complex Systems
Wikipedia on Irreducible Complexity
Dembski on Irreducible Complexity
Mental Connections:
---- Specified Complexity
2.2.1.1: Threshold problem:the parts leading to a functional biological system are not themselves functional (the blood coagulation system)
Attachments:
About Blood Coagulation
2.2.2: Criticism of Behe
Attachments:
Is intelligent design scientific?
Critical Reviews and Articles
2.3: William Dembski
Attachments:
Dembski's writings
Dembski explains ID
Dembski on the logical foundation of ID
Book: Signs of Intelligence
Mental Connections:
---- Intelligent Design
2.3.1: Specified Complexity
Attachments:
Dembski replies to a critic
Mental Connections:
---- Irreducible Complexity
2.3.2: Evolution and Occam. Evolution should favour the simple - but it doesn't. Complexity is better explained by positing a designer
Attachments:
Dembski on Unintelligent Evolution
Dembski 'v' Darwin
Discussion and Debate on Origins
Audio/visual interview with Richard Dawkins (mpeg file)
3: Anthropic Principle
Attachments:
Wikipedia on the Anthropic Principle
Links to critical articles
4: Intelligent Design
Intelligent design is abbreviated to ID
Attachments:
audio discussion of Intelligent Design
Dennett contra Intelligent Design
Blog against Intelligent Design
Intelligent Design Mind Map
Pro Intelligent Design Website
Dembski: Gauging ID's success
Dembski outlines the aim of ID
Dembski: Intelligent Design and Natural Theology
ID and Evolution Awareness Centre
Links to critical articles
FAQs on ID
Audio/visual interview on ID with S.C. Meyer (wmv file)
Mental Connections:
---- Michael Behe
---- William Dembski
5: Problems
Attachments:
Richard Dawkin's criticisms
5.1: Generally the notion of God arrived at differs from traditional notions of God
Mental Connections:
---- Problem: The notion of God is transformed
---- God is the Ground of Information, the anti-entropic principle
5.2: Design flaws
Attachments:
To Problem of Evil Map
6: Science and Religion
Attachments:
Centre Defending the Teaching of Evolution
Links to articles on the science 'v' religion controversy
Article by V. Harrison on Scientific and Religious Worldviews (pdf file)
Holmes Rolston III on Science and Religion
Summary of Mental Connections in map:
Problem: The notion of God is transformed -> -> Generally the notion of God arrived at differs from traditional notions of God
God is the Ground of Information, the anti-entropic principle -> -> Generally the notion of God arrived at differs from traditional notions of God
Irreducible Complexity -> -> Specified Complexity
Michael Behe -> -> Intelligent Design
William Dembski -> -> Intelligent Design
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