The Argument from Evolution, by Kyle J. Gerkin in his article ‘A Counterclockwise Paley’,
- Organized complexity is the product of conscious design or natural selection.
- Intelligence is an example of organized complexity.
- Thus, intelligence is the product of conscious design or natural selection.
- Intelligent beings are capable of designing intelligence (i.e. computer artificial intelligence programmed by humans).
- However, only one mechanism has been discovered that can produce intelligence without requiring the existence of a prior intelligence. That mechanism is evolution through natural selection.
- Thus, the first intelligence evolved.
- Evolution requires:
- Self replication (heredity) with slightly imperfect copying fidelity (mutation).
- An environment that can favor one replicator over another (competition).
- Time for (a) and (b) to manifest themselves.
- None of the conditions in (7) were present before the existence of the universe.
- Thus, intelligence did not exist prior to the universe.
- Therefore, the universe did not have an intelligent creator.
2 comments:
Though I agree with the idea (and the general theme), this isn't a real proof. Step 6 does not follow from step 5. Just because you haven't found another mechanism does not prove that no other exists. That is a much, much harder proof, personally one I fell will won't ever be done. Proving there is no God will be as fruitful as proving there is one, and really, shouldn't have much time wasted on it.
Well, I agree in general also but first you have to accept evolution. So the argument does nothing for the creationists among us.
Also dismal scientist is correct that there "might be" another mechanism for intelligence to come about. So it fails for the evolutionist theist as well.
To me the bigger logical proof was realizing (after hearing it on The God Who Wasn't There) that if intelligence could exist without a brain (as god is supposedly a disembodied intelligence), then why would WE need brains? It's a huge evolutionary disadvantage as it requires additional resources to run it.
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