Tag: materialism of the gaps

colorful sunset on top of austrian mountain alps

^{Type
post

Author
Brian Miller

Date
August 28, 2023

Tagged
Albert Einstein, Allen Guth, Ann Gauger, Aristotle, atomists, Brian Miller, Charles Darwin, chemicals, chemistry, cosmology, entropy, Epicureans, eternal cosmic inflation, Evolution, expansino of the universe, fine-tuning, God, God’s Grandeur, infinite, Intelligent Design, Luke Barnes, Materialism, materialism of the gaps, Michael Behe, multiverse, multiverse universe, Natural Selection, Natural Theology, origin of life, P.J. Steinhardt, Pat Flynn, Philosophy, Philosophy for the People, physics, Plato, Sean Carroll, stoics, string landscapes, systems biology, Theism, Thomas Aquinas}

The Return of Natural Theology

_{Brian Miller

August 28, 2023

Uncategorized}

Influenced by a long line of materialist thinkers, Charles Darwin proposed the mechanism of natural selection as a substitute for God. But how does his theory’s explanatory power measure up to recent scientific discoveries? On this ID The Future, physicist Brian Miller discusses the resurgence of natural theology in modern science with Pat Flynn, co-host of the Philosophy for the People podcast. Natural theology advances arguments for God based on reason and the discoveries of science. It’s an ancient pursuit that fell out of favor in the 19th century as a materialist account of life’s origins took center stage. But scientific findings of the last century point to mind, not a mindless process, as the likeliest explanation for a life-friendly universe. As a result, the pendulum is swinging back to teleology, ushering in a new heyday for natural theology. In addition to giving an historical overview of natural theology, Dr. Miller and Flynn also discuss fundamental problems in origin of life studies that demand a better explanation than materialists can offer. Miller speaks plainly about the problem: “Here’s the fundamental challenge,” he says. “All natural processes tend to create greater disorder (entropy)…The origin of life requires chemicals to go into a state of both high order and high energy. That never happens without help!” This is Part 1 of a 2-part discussion. With thanks to Pat Flynn and the Philosophy for the People podcast for permission to share this interview. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Eric H. Anderson

Date
August 19, 2020

Tagged
__edited, abiogenesis, DNA, God of the gaps, Materialism, materialism of the gaps, methodological naturalism, origin of life, repair mechanisms, spontaneous generation, Stairway to Life}

The Origin of Life and the Materialism of the Gaps

_{Eric H. Anderson

August 19, 2020

Uncategorized}

On this episode of ID the Future, host Eric Anderson speaks again with medical engineer Rob Stadler, co-author with molecular biologist Change Laura Tan of the new book Stairway to Life: An Origin of Life Reality Check. Here in Part 2 of their conversation, Stadler says that following the Miller-Urey experiments in the mid-twentieth century, researchers were optimistic that a purely naturalistic explanation for the origin of the first life was just around the corner, but since then the field has run into one obstacle after another. The challenge to mindless origin-of-life scenarios is now far greater than it was 60-70 years ago. And yet many in the field still cling to the belief that life must have arisen by some set of purely blind, material forces, no intelligence allowed. Why? Stadler says it’s the “materialism of the gaps,” a dogmatic mindset undeterred by the growing tide of evidence in the opposite direction.