Erin, Roger, Lawry, Marco, Platt,
I am in personal agreement with Roger and Lawry on almost everything they
are saying about the evolution/ID debate, and I agree with Platt's reading
of Pirsig on the issue. I also like that Marco brings up "genetic drift"
as a way evolution can operate without random mutation, but I don't
understand why he thinks Pirsig doesn't support teleology, unless Marco
narrowly defines teleology as the goals and purposes of a supernatural
God, excluding, in particular, teleology as the goal of indefinable
betterness of a supernatural DQ.
In this post, and at long last, I agree with Erin:)
ERIN:
"this is kind of funny because it just seems to squabble about
the definition of teology.
B values precondition A --- is teological to me but not you
evolution toward a dynamic goal---is teological to me but not to you
I am going by that "toward something" makes it teological."
ROGER:
"Going toward something or valueing a precondition is not teleological to me
at all. I think you are right that we are just squabbling over terminology.
I don't think whether or not the goal is defined is critical either."
The statement "B values precondition A" is teleological or at least quickly
leads to teleological thinking. Here B's behavior is influenced by a value
judgment it makes in the presence of A. The statement affords B a kind of
intelligence (however dim, as when B is some inorganic thing like an
electron). This moves intelligent design from God to DQ, whereby each
subatomic particle gains the intelligence by experiencing DQ, thereby
participating in a small way toward the cosmic direction of betterness and
freedom that undergirds Pirsig's view of evolution.
I agree that "going toward something" does not necessarily imply teleology,
but if the goal is "defined" it does, if by "defined" we mean "pre-defined".
This suggests nature has a plan for where it is going and then implements a
course of action to get there, and this is certainly teleological.
Glenn
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