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Richard Dawkins: Only the 'Appearance' of 'Design for Purpose': Blind Physical Forces 'Mimic Conscious Design' to Create Complex Entities Posted by Abu.Iyaad on Saturday, October, 12 2013 and filed under Dawkins
In his article, The Necessity of Darwinism. (New Scientist, vol. 94, 15 April 1982) Dawkins asserts (p. 130), emphasis is ours:
The more statistically improbable a thing is, the less can we believe that it just happened by blind chance. Superficially the obvious alternative to chance is an intelligent Designer. But Charles Darwin showed how it is possible for blind physical forces to mimic the effects of conscious design, and, by operating as a cumulative filter of chance variations, to lead eventually to organized and adaptive complexity, to mosquitoes and mammoths, to humans and therefore, indirectly, to books and computers.
The underlined words are to indicate that neither Dawkins or any other atheist on the planet is able to escape teleological language in the description, study and analysis of life, the world and the universe. The rational intelligibility of all of that (the universe and life) is recognized innately (see here) and practically self-evident. On this basis is man able to observe, analogize, and infer and develop knowledge of the working order of the universe, rationally. This in itself makes it practically self-evident that the universe and life on Earth is designed to be as it is. However, the above quote is one of many showing a man like Dawkins who cannot trust his own physical senses is not a man to be trusted to explain the origins of life. This is because although his physical senses see actual design his arrogance sees only an illusion of design explained by blind, purposeless, forces acting on random events. Comments
Dawkins begins by stating a truth, "The more statistically improbable a thing is, the less can we believe that it just happened by blind chance." This means that we are only left with two other choices, a) necessity by which the physical forces such as gravity are intended, so for example, if you drop an apple, by necessity (of the law of gravity) it will fall to the ground, or b) a creator. Knowing that the innate disposition and sound reason can never attribute design (and purpose) except to an agent with knowledge, will and power, Dawkins begins his psychological trickery on his audience. "Superficially..." he says. Meaning it is superficial to attribute what is clearly observable design (which he also tries to negate through psychological trickery and word play) to a being with the qualities required for design (knowledge, will, power). This is despite the fact that the sum whole of human experience, their day-to-day activity, and their entire industrial and technological enterprise is built upon the non-superficial presupposition that only knowledge, will and creative power lead to design. Thus, knowing that he cannot attribute knowledge, will and creative power to "physical forces" or "physical laws" he then brings his red herring, "But Charles Darwin showed how it is possible for blind physical forces to mimic the effects of conscious design..." Charles Darwin offered an explanation for life's diversity based upon blind physical forces acting on a primeval soup leading to replicable life leading (through mutations in genetic code) to the origin and diversity of species, and in this entire process, these "blind physical forces" "mimic the effects of conscious design." without there being actual design. You can see the play with words here. Neither Charles Darwin nor anyone else, has (or ever will) be able to provide empirical evidence for this assertion which actually underlies the entire naturalist religion. Think about that again, because in dismantling the naturalist religion, we have to really get to the core of it, and this is the actual core of it: Blind physical forces acting on a primeval soup leading to replicable life leading (through random mutations in genetic code) to the origin and diversity of species, all through undirected, purposeless processes. Naturalists play word games in that the word evolution is often presented with layers of meaning that are aimed at concealing the superstitious belief it is founded upon. We will elaborate upon this in more detail in a separate article. But to complete this point, there is no empirical evidence for the emergence of self-replication in the form of DNA or RNA through random undirected processes and all experimentation has miserably failed to produce anything remotely like the complex biological molecules found in living cells, even when generously supplied with many of the chemicals required for the formation of such molecules. This is taken as the only acceptable explanation because a philosophical assertion of naturalism allows no other explanation. Dawkins continues, "and, by operating as a cumulative filter of chance variations," note the desperate attempts here through careful wording of trying to portray, but from afar, the mimicking of "conscious design" he mentioned earlier. He wants there to be design but can't, so he has to make cunning use of language: "operating", "cumulative", "filter" "mimics", "conscious", "design". These blind physical forces somehow are able to "operate" as a "cumulative filter" to filter out chance variations and thereby choose the ones that are going to lead to life. The pauper is all but wanting to attribute "design" to these blind forces but can't (otherwise the game is up and the fraud is clear) and he uses doublespeak to say it is not design but just undirected processes that mimic design. So it is both design and not design at the same time. It is design and non-design. This is doublespeak and sophistry. And then he says, "...to lead eventually to organized and adaptive complexity, to mosquitoes and mammoths, to humans and therefore, indirectly, to books and computers" so the end result is "organized", "adaptive", "complexity" in the form of "humans", "books", "computers" - which to him have clearly not been designed but only give the illusion of design!
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