David's theory of evolution: Stephen Talbott's view; agency (Evolution)

by David Turell , Sunday, November 15, 2020, 15:24 (1251 days ago) @ dhw

QUOTE: Single cells don’t have minds of their own – so surely they don’t have goals, determination, gusto? When we attribute aims and purposes to these primitive organisms, aren’t we just succumbing to an illusion?

dhw: All the subsequent intellectual faffing around would be totally unnecessary if only Talbott would take the bull by the horns and acknowledge that single cells have their own form of intelligence (not to be compared to that of the human mind), and we do not know its source.

DAVID: How about God as the agency? This author just mimicked Talbott.

dhw: Why do you have to have your God sitting inside every single cell, providing it with its aims, determination and gusto, and making every decision in every situation it faces? How about your God designing both the cell and the mechanism that enables it to make its own decisions? I don’t understand your second comment.

You've got it!!! God is not in every cell but His instructions as information in the genome provide all the cells need to respond to stimuli and demands automatically. My comment is obvious if you remember Talbott's writings. The author and Talbott are looking for the ghost in the machine that makes cells respond intelligently.