Q&A: On the Rejection, by Evolutionary Theory, of the Physico-Theological Argument Within the Laws
On the Rejection, by Evolutionary Theory, of the Physico-Theological Argument Within the Laws
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Why does the theory of evolution undermine the physico-theological proof within the laws? After all, if before Darwin came along the proof was that the chance of such a complex and high-quality reality coming into being without a designer was negligible, then even now the chance that the mutations would arise that would eventually lead to the perfection we see before us is negligible. True, there were also other mutations that did not pass the test of natural selection, but the probability is still negligible, isn’t it? Is there something basic that I have not understood about the theory of evolution?
Another thing: I don’t understand how evolution explains evolutionary transitions that include stages which, in themselves, have no greater survival ability at all. How did natural selection operate until the mutational process reached the point of producing a successful organism?
Thank you very much for all the effort!
Answer
Apparently yes (there is something you haven’t understood). Go and study it.
The question of irreducible stages has been discussed to exhaustion in the literature. But all these questions do not interest me, because they have no implication at all. The proof from outside the laws is enough for me, and I do not accept God-of-the-gaps arguments.