Where does Intelligence Design leave us? We have some intelligent agent who set up a universe with certain “laws of nature” and a certain initial state that lead to the evolution of the universe as we see it today. (I’ve been trying to avoid the “e” word and I’ll get to a discussion of evolution as a universal mechanism in a future post.) We know enough to understand that if some of the basic parameters of the universe were different (like the strength of gravity, for example) then the universe would not support life. You could almost imagine that perhaps this intelligent agent had designed other universes that did not create life or humans and that was so disturbing that another universe needed to be created. (What happened to the other, non-interesting universes?) Although it is incredibly disturbing to me and runs counter to my religious education, the conclusion to make is the our Intelligent Designer is an experimenter; a curious, pencil-headed geek wearing what ever passes for a pocket protector in their existence with nothing better to try out different laws of natures and initial conditions to see which ones lead to “interesting” universes. (A universe that is interesting to the Intelligent Designer, at least.) Even worse (to me), the most plausible explanation of the universe is as some sort of computer game or simulation.
Does this mean that there was some purpose in setting up the laws of nature? It looks like there might be an overall design to the universe, but does it filter down to humans? I’ve read countless pieces that have someone looking back at their life and the “road” they have traveled. (I’ve did this just the other day, in fact.) When I looked at the decisions I made and how it “pushed” me in a specific direction. (This included where I went to college, who I married, when I had children, etc.) It is tempting to look at the improbability of knowing how a decision made 20 years ago could have had such a dramatic effect on my life today and conclude there must be guiding force to my life. So I replayed my life, in my mind, and changed one of the decisions I made so guessed where it would have lead me. I imagined myself at my age looking back at that decision and wondering how remarkable it was that I was in the place I ended up by making that different decision. Then I realized that no matter which choice I had taken at any of the forks in the road, I would always end up at a place where I would marvel at how I got there. It’s like Buckaroo Bonzai says, ‘No matter where you go, there you are.” (I wondered how I would ever get that quote into one of my writings!) It’s a miracle and improbable that you got to where you are, but the miracle is that you got anywhere at all. The path was not foreseen, and could not be foreseen, but it is miraculous none the less.
If there is any consolation in the idea that we are living in a computer game it would be as a way to explain the existence of miracles. Our Intelligent Designer could decide to “tweak” thinks during the simulation run to see how these humans will react. Now if only there were a way to tap into the psyche of this Intelligent Designer and through exhortations or prayer get them to intercede on our part. Mind you, since the universe is non-computable, even our Intelligent Designer would have no way of knowing how the intervention will come out. So who’s to say that one intervention (save the life of my child) is better than some other intervention (or no intervention). Since no one has ever been able to document or replicate a Devine Intervention, perhaps we’re better off without?
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