Regarding the world of nature and the universe, we have no prior knowledge of the existence of an intelligence capable of planning such a world. Admittedly, there are those who want to conclude from the existence of the complex and wonderful world about the reality of an intelligent planner, but such a conclusion is not an explanation of the phenomenon but a psychological outcome of it
A great struggle is currently taking place in America over the question of whether schools in the country should be allowed to present the theory of "intelligent design" as a competing explanation for the complexity of nature, alongside the Darwinian-evolutionary picture of the world. The President of the United States recently expressed his opinion that the idea of intelligent design is indeed an alternative theory equivalent to the Darwinian worldview in terms of its validity and truth.
Adherents of "intelligent design" claim that the enormous complexity revealed to our eyes in the universe, in particular in the animal and plant world, is an expression of the action of an intelligent entity. According to them, only planning by some kind of intelligence can explain the existence in the world of complex and complicated systems such as the human eye or ear, or the wonderful pattern of a peacock's tail spread wide. This claim is repeated and presented now in the USA even more strongly as a competing explanation to the theory of evolution of the biological world, the foundations of which were laid by Charles Darwin. The Darwinist is no less moved by the marvelous complexity, purposefulness, order and beauty that are revealed in the animal and plant world, but he attributes them not to the intention of some intelligent planner but to the statistical regularity of accidental processes occurring in the world. In the Darwinian worldview, none of the processes driving evolution that give rise to the diversity revealed in it can be attributed neither reason, nor intention, nor emotion, nor will.
In administrations and educational institutions in several countries in the USA, one can detect today a growing drift towards the position supported by the president, and in various schools the theory of "intelligent design" is indeed taught in the classrooms, alongside, or even instead of, the theory of evolution. This trend horrifies many scientists and educators, not only in America but also in other countries. She must surely keep sleep from the eyes of educators and those who rule in Israel. The political-cultural struggle intensified to such an extent that it reaches headlines in the world's daily press. The Haaretz newspaper, for example, this week published the article by Richard Dawkins and Jerry Quinn, two of the most important evolution researchers of our generation, explaining the weaknesses of the theory of intelligent design and the danger of presenting it in school curricula as a scientific theory. About a month ago, the New York Times published a large article by the American philosopher Daniel Dent on the same subject and the same position.
The main weakness in the idea of the rational planner is that it cannot be seen as any explanation for the phenomenon it claims to explain. The essence of the argument of this idea can be presented as follows. Anyone who sees the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican can immediately conclude that an intelligent being planned, and even executed, the wonderful paintings on it. No sane person would think that Michelangelo's paintings were created as a result of accidental processes, without intention and without intelligence. As such, no normal person thinks that the F-16 fighter jet came into the world without some intelligence that designed it. All the more so that such an explanation is required for biological systems in the world, whose complexity is infinitely greater.
However, this conclusion is based on nonsense. The argument that an intelligent manufacturing company designed the F-16 plane is indeed a plausible explanation for the existence of this complex system because we know of the existence of aeronautical engineers, intelligent planners who are able to design a jet plane, independently of our knowledge of the plane itself. The thought that an intelligent human hand painted the Sistine Chapel is there to explain the paintings there only because we have prior knowledge that there are beings who can plan and execute such paintings.
Regarding the world of nature and the universe, we have no prior knowledge of the existence of an intelligence capable of planning such a world. Admittedly, there are those who want to conclude from the existence of the complex and wonderful world about the reality of an intelligent planner, but such a conclusion is not an explanation of the phenomenon but a psychological outcome of it.
Parable What is it similar to? Lihezkel has been working for 17 years as a teller at the small bank branch in Rishon Lezion. Two years ago Yehezkel purchased an 8 dunam plot in Caesarea and built on it a 400 square meter villa, a tennis court, 2 swimming pools and a stable of race horses. This aroused the suspicion of the bank manager and also of the income tax authorities who sent an investigator on their behalf to look into the matter. The researcher's first question to Ezekiel was simple: where did you get the money you invested in building the villa in Caesarea? Ezekiel's answer came immediately and without hesitation: In the evening of the ninth of the year 7, the prophet Elijah appeared to me in a dream at night and said to me as if I was praying: Ezekiel, my son, get up, take a spade in your hand, and go to the tomb of Queen Esther in the Galilee. At midnight on the night of Rosh Chodesh, stand by the tombstone and walk exactly six hundred and thirteen steps in the north direction, and forty-nine steps in the east direction. At this point you will dig 3 cubits into the ground and you will find an ancient metal box there. Open the box, hold it with both hands, and say 10 times: N-Nach-Nachm-Nachman-Maomen. And here Elijah went up in the heavenly storm. On the first month of Elul I went to the Galilee and did as he commanded. And while I was standing at night with the open box in my hand, it suddenly began to be filled with 200 million shekels in new XNUMX shekel bills. This is the source of the money for my investments in Caesarea. The IRS investigator still did not relent and asked: Do you have any evidence to verify the story? Certainly, answered Ezekiel, but what? And that the villa in Caesarea is not sufficient proof?
And that's what the followers of intelligent planning really say. We see a wonderful world. The explanation for its complexity lies in an intelligent entity that designed it. And if you ask how we know that such an entity exists, we will answer you immediately: that the existence of such a wonderful world is not sufficient proof?
Thanks to Elia Levovich for the permission to publish an article, a shortened version of which was published yesterday (19/9/05) in Haaretz newspaper
Yadan Darwin, who has been involved for years in the case of the creationists' attempt to take over science studies
https://www.hayadan.org.il/BuildaGate4/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~~~272370254~~~89&SiteName=hayadan
