Return to David's theory of evolution, purpose & theodicy (Evolution)

by David Turell , Wednesday, June 05, 2024, 18:15 (94 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: I've been working from memory. In his book directly: there is no rational necessity for God to be morally good, just or merciful. or even benevolently disposed toward us. Allegory must always be used for words about God. Divine inscrutability precludes us from ever asking the reason why God does anything. God is no way necessitated to create the universe and must be considered as acting freely. I've interpreted him based on these thoughts basically quoted.

dhw: Then I’m delighted to say I agree with Adler, except for this silly use of the word “allegory”, when WE know the meaning of our words, and the question is whether they do or don’t apply to God. It’s clear then, that Adler would oppose your 100% declarations that your God is omnipotent, omniscient, all-good, selfless, fixated on a single purpose (us plus food), the designer of 99.9% of species irrelevant to his purpose, “certainly not human in any way”. Thank you for your integrity in finally recognizing that in fact my views are far closer to Adler’s than yours are.

Adler insists upon allegory!!! His God is all everything. And His purpose was defined in Adler's book: "The difference in Man and the Diffrenceit Makes", that is a proof of God because humans are so unusual. You don't know Adler.

dhw: You agreed long ago that “all of evolution” did not produce humans or our food. 99.9% of evolution had no connection with us and our food. “You are purposely blind” to your agreement, as follows:
dhw: Do you believe that we and our food are directly descended from 99.9% of all creatures that ever lived?

DAVID: No. From the 0.1% surviving.

dhw: Hence the absurdity of your theory bolded above, and your ridicule of your God’s imperfect, inefficient method of fulfilling the purpose you impose on him.

More nonsense. The 0.1% required the 99.9% to go extinct!!! Pure Raup.>

DAVID: You rail at Adler with tiny knowledge of him.

dhw: I don’t rail at Adler, but against your illogical arguments which you tell us are based on Adler even when they aren't. […]I wish you'd stick to the arguments instead of hiding behind Adler.

DAVID: Not hiding behind. Trying to teach you.

dhw: And blessings upon you, my dear teacher, you have now taught me that Adler rejects all your 100% pontifications about your God’s purpose and nature. Thank you.

See above. You can't distort Adler to sound like you.

Evolution

DAVID: If God's purpose was to produce us and all the living resources on Earth, everything that happened was required. Raup fits in just fine.

dhw: Why were 99.9% of extinct species that had no connection with us or our contemporary species necessary for the production of us and our contemporary species? Ah, because your God is an imperfect, messy, cumbersome and inefficient designer, although he’s also perfect, omniscient and omnipotent. Where does Raup, who never mentions God, “fit in just fine”?

No answer.

Not worth an answer. "The 0.1% required the 99.9% to go extinct!!! Pure Raup"

DAVID: Your alternative views of God's evolution turn it into a goal-less free-for-all for God's entertainment.

DAVID: You totally humanize God, for no good reason.

dhw: The concept of an eternal, immaterial, immortal, sourceless mind can hardly be “totally human” just because it might have invented evolution as a free-for-all or a series of experiments. You impose on it a single purpose and an imperfect, inefficient method of achieving that purpose for no good reason, and indeed for no reason at all that you can think of.

Listen to Adler!! "Divine inscrutability precludes us from ever asking the reason why God does anything".