Re: [asa] Intelligence

Heya Randy,

Sure, that's what Trewavas sees and highlights. But someone else looking at
the situation would see intelligence suffused throughout living systems (and
possibly in non-living, though that's not an area even commented on here) as
yet more evidence of design in action - living systems that have 'their own
intelligence' would immediately be akin to computers and programs, the
results or tools of an external agency employing life towards a goal.
Regarding life as intelligent in the broad sense of the term (rather than
unintelligent/purposeless) seems to mesh easily with the general ID mode of
thought.

Granted, it's not knock-down scientific proof of external agency - I don't
believe such a thing is possible in principle, personally. But it certainly
meshes well with the general ID concept as I see it, as-is.

On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 8:46 PM, Randy Isaac <randyisaac@comcast.net> wrote:

> I don't follow your reasonng about bolsterng "the idea that an external
> agent's fingerprints may be seen..."
> Trewavas explicitly sees intelligence as an "emergent property that results
> from the complex interactions between tissues and cells..."
> This is not to argue in any way for the lack of such an agent but merely
> that it cannot be inferred directly from the observation of the living
> cells. I think Trewavas is saying that in his opinion, all living systems
> show some characteristics of intelligence, not an external intelligent
> agent, but its own intelligence that arises from the interactions of the
> components.
>
> It would indeed be an interesting direction for some ID thinkers to
> possibly move, but it might take them in a direction they didn't intend.
>
> Randy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Schwarzwald <schwarzwald@gmail.com>
> *To:* Randy Isaac <randyisaac@comcast.net>
> *Sent:* Friday, January 02, 2009 6:11 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [asa] Intelligence
>
> Heya Randy,
>
> This leads to an intriguing and stimulating possibility. The
>> "intelligent cause" cited by the ID community as being the "best inference"
>> from the patterns in living cells, need not be an independent, external
>> agent, but the intelligence of the cell itself. Or to say it in another way,
>> the design of the genome (or any living system) may be due to the
>> intelligence of the genome (or that particular system).
>>
>
> Which can in turn be cited to bolster the idea that an external agent's
> fingerprints may be seen even at so fundamental a level in living systems.
> Or maybe even extended to the idea that the system as a whole (including
> environment, cosmological, or other 'nonliving' aspects) is itself the
> product of a transcendent intelligence.
>
> Interesting direction for some ID thinkers to possibly move, I admit.
>
>

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Received on Fri Jan 2 21:25:30 2009