Re: MD Hume, Paley and Intelligent Design

From: Mark Steven Heyman (markheyman@infoproconsulting.com)
Date: Sun Apr 24 2005 - 20:23:36 BST

  • Next message: hampday@earthlink.net: "Re: MD Hume, Paley and Intelligent Design"

    Hi Ian,

    On 24 Apr 2005 at 16:10, ian glendinning wrote:

    I'm impressed that Mark finds the motivation to argue in such detail
    ...

    I find myself stopping at the point "not up to snuff regarding our
    current understanding of the physical universe" whenever anyone cites
    an "old philosopher" verbatim as if to prove something.

    msh says:
    Old doesn't mean wrong or useless. The earth didn't stop orbiting the
    sun just 'cause Copernicus died. And what's "old" anyway?

    But I'll be the first to admit that my look back at the Dialogues was
    a loving exercise in Philosophology. And you're right: it's amazing
    that such a refresher course is even necessary; but as long as
    crypto-creationists keep bringing up Paley to support their beliefs,
    there is no better response than Hume's classic refutations.

    ian:
    PS Mark, whose is the animal / vegetable quote ? Paley ?

    msh:

    It's Hume, Dialogues Part VII, Paragraph 3. Though his point is well-
    taken, I've always thought he was having us on a bit, as you Brits
    like to say. You know, the world is a cabbage with nothing inside
    it...

    "The world plainly resembles more an animal or a vegetable than it
    does a watch or knitting-loom. Its cause, therefore, it is more
    probable, resembles the cause of the former. The cause of the former
    is generation or vegetation."

    Best,
    Mark Steven Heyman (msh)

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