From: Howard J. Van Till (hvantill@chartermi.net)
Date: Tue Sep 23 2003 - 18:30:20 EDT
>From: "Steve Petermann" <steve@spetermann.org>
> I'm curious about the compatibility of ID with your RFEP. As I understand
> it, your system does not rule out supernatural activity. Does this mean
> that RFEP is amenable to the possibility of some sort of ongoing divine
> intelligent design activity?
As far as I can tell, ID and the RFEP are considered incompatible. One of
the fundamental tenets of the ID position is that the formational economy of
the universe is incomplete (unable to actualize certain biotic systems) and
that the gaps in it (formed by missing formational capabilities) are
empirically verifiable.
From the standpoint of the RFEP, supernatural intervention is unnecessary as
a means for actualizing any physical structure or form of life that is an
integral part of the universe's formational history. That being the case,
all of ID's argumentation for the inadequacy of the universe's formational
capabilities for actualizing certain biotic structures (like the bacterial
flagellum) goes out the window and ID advocates have no "scientific" case
for justifying the insertion of DI's (divine interventions) into the
formational history scenario. And remember that, according to ID advocates,
the case for ID is purely scientific.
Howard Van Till
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