Evolution and Intelligent Design
Intelligent design holds on to the believe that most of the universe and living things features are only well explained through the use of an intelligent cause instead of the commonly known natural selection method. Those who advocate for this kind of view insists that the theory remains to be a scientific one and thus through its redefinition of science, supernatural phenomenon can be best explained from a scientific point of view. The stated main purpose of intelligent design is to investigate whether the existing empirical evidence do imply that life here on earth have been designed by an intelligent agent or not (Ronald, 2006).
The study of nature in the 19th century led to the natural theology that aimed at understanding the ‘mind of God ‘ through nature and eventually thus to the famous Darwin theory that sought to explain the origin of species. Even today, there are several types of reasoning that embrace the idea of a divine designer that have come to be accepted by many believers in theistic evolution who do consider that the modern science together with the theory of evolution are fully compatible to the acclaimed concept of having a supernatural designer (Attie, 2006).
Dawkin on the other hand rejects both the existence of God or even the acclaimed intelligent design. He responds to these claims by accepting and supporting the Darwinian account of evolution and in this regard struggles to show how the process of natural selection clearly enabled the development of complexity of life here on earth from the simple beings to the complex one. Dawkin doe not hold that evolution is compatible with the most of the religious beliefs. He dismisses the idea that religion ought to be valued for the value it does offer to believers as he holds that such meaning would eventually be worthless if the falsehood turns out to be the price to be paid (Ronald, 2006).
Atheism, interior pathways to God and the search for meaning and to find ourselves
Atheism is the position that seeks to deny the existence of deities. In regard to the supernatural claims, atheism leans on skeptism on the claim that there is no empirical evidence. The opposite of the atheist are those who believe in God and hold that man is created in the image and likeness of God and this forms the interior man (Attie, 2006).
The greatest challenge both for believers in God and for the non believers is the struggle to find meaning in life. Even after the last of a man’s freedom has been taken away, the choice of one’s path remain individual and most difficult. There is a purpose in life that admits the possibility of one being required to adhere to high moral behavior. Man generally therefore accepts that though one may deny the self or the existence of God, his existence in this life is one that is restricted by external forces (Ronald, 2006).
Man’s main concern is to have a fulfilling meaning out of everything he does and to actualize the values that he holds dear to his heart and not a being that is just but interested in seeking gratification of drives and instincts. Man is thus not after an easy life that does not fulfill his innermost meaning but rather a kind of life that is aimed at achieving some higher goals that he considers to be worthy of him.
Man does not therefore in his search for meaning and finding himself seek to discharge tension but rather a lifetime call with a potential meaning for him. Since the meaning of life is detected but not invented by ourselves, what matters most therefore is not the general meaning in someone’s life but rather the specific meaning that is attributable to that person’s life at a particular life (Ronald, 2006).
Reference
Ronald, L. Numbers (2006). The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design, Expanded Edition. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674023390.
Attie, A. D. (2006). “Defending science education against intelligent design: a call to action”. Journal of Clinical Investigation (American Society for Clinical Investigation) 116: 1134–1138.