http://withallyourmind.net/archives/2008/the-complexity-of-the-designer/ Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:49:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 http://withallyourmind.net/archives/2008/the-complexity-of-the-designer/#comment-76730 Chad McIntosh Mon, 05 May 2008 05:28:26 +0000 http://withallyourmind.net/archives/2008/the-complexity-of-the-designer/#comment-76730 The philosophical idea behind this oft-quoted argument I think is "like begets like." The problem is that this 'principle' seems applicable only to material causes (which is how it has traditionally been employed. However, it is likely the principle is not always true of material causes, either). But, of course, God is not a material entity. So applying such a principle in this case would not only beg the question against the possibility of non-material causes, but also commit a category mistake by applying a material category to an immaterial one. The philosophical idea behind this oft-quoted argument I think is “like begets like.” The problem is that this ‘principle’ seems applicable only to material causes (which is how it has traditionally been employed. However, it is likely the principle is not always true of material causes, either). But, of course, God is not a material entity. So applying such a principle in this case would not only beg the question against the possibility of non-material causes, but also commit a category mistake by applying a material category to an immaterial one.

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