Darwin and Intelligent Design

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Darwin and Intelligent Design

• Elliott Sober
• Philosophy Department
• University of Wisconsin, Madison

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Outline

• 1 What is Evolutionary Theory?
• 2 God and Evolution 3 options, not 2
• 3 Mutations guided or unguided?
• 4 Darwins views on God and Christianity

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What is evolutionary theory?

• It views present species as tracing back to
  common ancestors.

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the only diagram in the Origin.
v

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What is evolutionary theory?

• It views present species as tracing back to
  common ancestors.
• It regards natural selection as an important
  cause of the diversity we observe.

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What is evolutionary theory?

• It views present species as tracing back to
  common ancestors.
• It regards natural selection as an important
  cause of the diversity we observe.
• It regards mutations as unguided.

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Evolutionary theory is a scientific theory, not a
philosophy.

• It says nothing about God, or materialism, or
  ethics, or free will, or life after death.
• It obeys the principle of methodological
  naturalism, not metaphysical naturalism.

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The 2 naturalisms

• Methodological Naturalism scientific theories
  should not postulate the existence of a
  supernatural God.
• Metaphysical Naturalism No supernatural God
  exists.

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The 2 naturalisms

• Methodological Naturalism scientific theories
  should not postulate the existence of a
  supernatural God.
• Metaphysical Naturalism No supernatural God
  exists.
• Evolutionary theory endorses the former, not the
  latter.

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Outline

• 1 What is Evolutionary Theory?
• 2 God and Evolution 3 options, not 2
• 3 Guided Mutations
• 4 Darwins views on God and Christianity

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God and Evolution 3 options, not 2

• Atheistic Evolutionism Evolutionary theory is
  true and there is no God.

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God and Evolution 3 options, not 2

• Atheistic Evolutionism Evolutionary theory is
  true and there is no God.
• Creationism Evolutionary theory is false and
  God exists.

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God and Evolution 3 options, not 2

• Atheistic Evolutionism Evolutionary theory is
  true and there is no God.
• Creationism Evolutionary theory is false and
  God exists.
• Are theism and evolutionary theory
• inconsistent with each other?

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any confusion between the ideas suggested by
science and science itself must be
carefully avoided. - Jacques Monod, Chance and
Necessity
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God and Evolution 3 options, not 2

• Atheistic Evolutionism Evolutionary theory is
  true and there is no God.
• Creationism Evolutionary theory is false and
  God exists.
• Theistic Evolutionism Evolutionary theory is
  true and God exists.

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2 types of theistic evolutionism

• Deism God produces organisms via the
  evolutionary process and then never intervenes in
  what happens.
• An interventionist God God produces organisms
  via the evolutionary process and sometimes
  intervenes in what happens.

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Outline

• 1 What is Evolutionary Theory?
• 2 God and Evolution 3 options, not 2
• 3 Guided Mutations
• 4 Darwins views on God and Christianity

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theism and mutations

• Evolutionary theory says that mutations are
  unguided.
• Does this mean that the theory denies that God
  influences which mutations occur?

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Guided mutations and evolutionary theory

• What do biologists mean by saying that mutations
  are unguided or undirected or random?

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Guided mutations and evolutionary theory

• What do biologists mean by saying that mutations
  are unguided or undirected or random?
• This does not mean that they are uncaused.

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Guided mutations and evolutionary theory

• What do biologists mean by saying that mutations
  are unguided or undirected or random?
• This does not mean that they are uncaused.
• It means that when they occur, this isnt
  because they would be useful to the organism.

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Darwin on mutation

• Let an architect be compelled to build an edifice
  with uncut stones, fallen from a precipice. The
  shape of each fragment may be called accidental
  yet the shape of each has been determined by the
  force of gravity, the nature of the rock, and the
  slope of the precipice, -- events and
  circumstances all of which depend on natural
  laws but there is no relation between these laws
  and the purpose for which each fragment is used
  by the builder. In the same manner the
  variations of each creature are determined by
  fixed and immutable laws but these bear no
  relation to the living structure which is slowly
  built up through the power of natural selection,
  whether this be natural or artificial selection.

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An experiment

• Some blue organisms are placed
  into
• a green environment, others into
  a red.

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An experiment

• Some blue organisms are placed
  into
• a green environment, others into
  a red.
• Protective coloration is advantageous.
  In a green
• environment, green organisms survive
  better
• than red organisms. In a red
  environment,
• the reverse is
  true.

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Look at the frequencies with which
blue organisms mutate to

• 
  Environment is
• red
  green
• red f1
  f2
• Mutate to
• green f3
  f4

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the results

• 
  Environment is
• red
  green
• red f1
  f2
• Mutate to
  
• green f3
  f4

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the conclusion to draw

• The probabilities of these mutations are
• not affected by the fact that one would
  
• be better for the organism than the
  other.

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the conclusion to draw

• The probabilities of these mutations are
• not affected by the fact that one would
  
• be better for the organism than the
  other.
• This conclusion does not rule out the
  idea
• that God causes everything.

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an analogy mutations and coin tosses

• Coins do not land heads or tails because this
  would
• be good for gamblers.
• Mutations do not occur because this would be
• good for organisms.
• Both claims are consistent
  with
• Gods causing everything.

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Outline

• 1 What is Evolutionary Theory?
• 2 God and Evolution 3 options, not 2
• 3 Guided Mutations
• 4 Darwins views on God and Christianity

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Darwins views on

• Theistic Evolution v Creationism
• why special creation is a poor scientific
• theory
• whether God exists
• Christianity

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The Origin begins with a quotationfrom the
philosopher William Whewell

• But with regard to the material world, we
  can at least go so far as this we can perceive
  that events are brought about not by insulated
  interpositions of Divine power, exerted in each
  particular case, but by the establishment of
  general laws.

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2 views of Gods relation to nature

• But with regard to the material world, we
  can at least go so far as this we can perceive
  that events are brought about not by insulated
  interpositions of Divine power, exerted in each
  particular case, but by the establishment of
  general laws.

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2 views of Gods relation to nature

• But with regard to the material world, we
  can at least go so far as this we can perceive
  that events are brought about not by insulated
  interpositions of Divine power, exerted in each
  particular case, but by the establishment of
  general laws.

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the 2 possibilities

• Gods 1st decision
  observation 1
• Gods 2nd decision
  observation 2
• (D)
  
• Gods nth decision
  observation n
• 
  observation 1
• (U) God general laws
  observation 2
• 
  
• 
  observation n

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Which theistic framework did Darwin prefer?

• to my mind it accords better with what we
  know of the laws impressed on matter by the
  Creator, that the production and extinction of
  the past and present inhabitants of the world
  should have been due to secondary causes, like
  those determining the birth and death of the
  individual.

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Darwin was inspired by Newton

• There is grandeur in this view of life, with its
  several powers, having been originally breathed
  into a few forms or into one and that whilst
  this planet has gone cycling on according to the
  fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning
  endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful
  have been, and are being, evolved.

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Why Darwin preferred the Unified Model U

• On the ordinary view of the independent
  creation of each being, we can only say that so
  it is -- that it has so pleased the Creator to
  construct each animal and plant.

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Why Darwin preferred the Unified Model U

• On the ordinary view of the independent
  creation of each being, we can only say that so
  it is -- that it has so pleased the Creator to
  construct each animal and plant.
• D thought that special creation is
• scientifically empty.

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Was Darwin a theist?

• the extreme difficulty or rather
  impossibility of conceiving this immense and
  wonderful universe, including man as the result
  of blind chance or necessity I feel compelled to
  look to a First Cause having an intelligent mind
  in some degree analogous to that of man and I
  deserve to be called a theist. Ds Autobiography
  

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But on the next page

• Darwin refers to himself as an agnostic, by
  which he says he means someone who has no
  assured and ever present belief in the existence
  of a personal God or of a future existence with
  retribution and reward.
• Elsewhere, Darwin describes himself as being
  in a muddle.

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Francis Darwin, quoting his father

• the mystery of the beginning of all things is
  insoluble by us and I for one must be content to
  remain an Agnostic.
• I think an Agnostic would be the more correct
  description of my state of mind.  The whole
  subject of God is beyond the scope of man's
  intellect.

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Darwin on Christianity

• In the Autobiography, Darwin describes
  Christianity as a damnable doctrine because it
  says that his brother, father, and grandfather
  must suffer everlasting punishment for their lack
  of belief.

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Darwin on Christianity

• In the Autobiography, Darwin describes
  Christianity as a damnable doctrine because it
  says that his brother, father, and grandfather
  must suffer everlasting punishment for their lack
  of belief.
• Why didnt Charles follow the lead of his
  wife, Emma?

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Darwin on the problem of evil

• D and Asa Gray corresponded about the
  parasitic wasp Ichneumonidae.

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Darwin on the problem of evil

• D and Asa Gray corresponded about the
  parasitic wasp Ichneumonidae.
• D says in a letter that he cant persuade
  himself that a beneficent and omnipotent God
  would have designedly created this arrangement.

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how to think about whether God exists

• There are several arguments for the existence of
  God (the design argument, the first cause
  argument, the ontological argument, etc). Are
  any of these compelling?

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how to think about whether God exists

• There are several arguments for the existence of
  God. Are any compelling?
• Evil Does the quantity of evil that exists pose
  a problem for theism?

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how to think about whether God exists

• There are several arguments for the existence of
  God. Are any compelling?
• Evil Does the quantity of evil that exists pose
  a problem for theism?
• Should belief in God be based solely on evidence,
  or should it be a matter of faith?

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how to think about whether God exists

• There are several arguments for the existence of
  God. Are any compelling?
• Evil Does the quantity of evil that exists pose
  a problem for theism?
• Should belief in God e based solely on evidence,
  or should it be a matter of faith?
• Evolutionary theory does not
• answer any of these.

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Darwin the man v Darwins theory

• The man had religious doubts, stemming from
  the problem of evil.
• This doesnt mean that Ds theory is in
  conflict with theism (or with Christianity).

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Summary what is evolutionary theory?

• It views present species as tracing back to
  common ancestors.
• It regards natural selection as an important
  cause of the diversity we observe.
• It regards mutations as unguided.

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Summary

• Evolutionary theory does not rule out the
  existence of God.

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Summary

• Evolutionary theory does not rule out the
  existence of God.
• In fact, the theory does not rule out a God who
  intervenes in nature.

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Summary

• Evolutionary theory does not rule out the
  existence of God.
• In fact, the theory does not rule out a God who
  intervenes in nature.
• Believing in a God who created nature, and who
  sometimes intervenes in it, is no substitute for
  doing natural science.

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any confusion between the ideas suggested by
science and science itself must be carefully
avoided. - Jacques Monod, Chance and Necessity