Theodicy: the 'good' view of viruses (Introduction)

by dhw, Wednesday, November 03, 2021, 10:19 (1114 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Same strange confused objection: the correct way to look at it is the system God used to make life exist has no errors in design. The required use of reacting molecules creates the future errors in the high speed functions, for which editing is present and highly effective. It cannot be perfect. Why do you dwell on the dark side?

dhw: Of course the errors are in the design, if the design requires actions subject to error! And the imperfections – if we expand this particular field to the whole of life – are the subject of the theodicy debate! It is the dark side of life that causes believers to ask: why is there a dark (bad) side if God is all light (good)? You constantly try to solve the theodicy problem by trying to ignore the dark side.

DAVID: It requires the thought that God is not all light (good).

That is one logical conclusion to be drawn from all the bad in the world. Congratulations, you have found an answer to the problem. But now you go on to his good intentions, which suggests that he is all good, and so you haven’t found an answer to the problem.

DAVID:… that He wished for the best result is shown by his editing systems. The quality of the design requires using error prone freely acting molecules to create life. There are no errors in a design if it is the only one available for use.

You yourself keep talking about the errors that your well-meaning God tries (sometimes in vain) to correct! Now you’re telling us that the errors are not errors, because your God couldn’t design an error-free system. So what was he trying to correct? I didn’t know that as first cause he found himself limited by what was available. I thought he created everything that was available.

The good viruses do
QUOTE: Scientists may always dispute whether viruses are alive or not, but they can hopefully agree on the importance of viruses to life as we know it. “However you want to think about life,” says Villarreal, “viruses are going to be there.'"

DAVID: Viruses have to be here and play a role. So do bacteria. And yes some roles are bad.

dhw: And you want us to discuss theodicy but you don’t want us to take any notice of the bad.

DAVID: Unfair. I brought up the bad, but do not sccept your interpretation.

You brought up the bad, but then kept on telling me how negative I was because the subject of theodicy entails explaining the bad, and you only wanted to focus on the good.