Christian Scholarship: Need Alvin Plantinga

selection,theblind,unconsciousautomaticprocesswhichDarwin discovered,andwhichwenowknowistheexplanationfortheexistence andapparentlypurposefulformofalllife,hasnopurposeinmind.Ithas nomindandnomind'seye.Itdoesnotplanforthefuture.Ithasnovision, noforesight,nosightatall.Ifitcanbesaidtoplaytheroleofwatchmaker innature,itisthe blind watchmaker(5).<br><br> Thepointaboutevolution:itisaplausibleefforttoremoveoneofthemajor embarrassmentsfortheatheist. (4)Anotherexamplefromthesameareawithadifferenttwist:Futuyma,Gould, Simpson,Dawkins,Provineandothers:evolutionshowsthathumanbeingsaretheresult of chance processesandhencehavenotbeendesignedbyGodoranyoneelse. DouglasFutuyma EvolutionaryBiology ,p.3(2ndedition1986): Bycouplingundirected,purposelessvariationtotheblind,uncaring processofnaturalselectionDarwinmadetheologicalorspiritual explanationsofthelifeprocessessuperfluous.TogetherwithMarx's materialistictheoryofhistoryandsocietyandFreud'sattributionofhuman behaviortoprocessesoverwhichwehavelittlecontrol,Darwin'stheory ofevolutionwasacrucialplankintheplatformofmechanismand materialismofmuchofscience,inshort--thathassincebeenthestageof mostWesternthought.<br><br> GeorgeGaylordSimpson, TheMeaningofEvolution ,pp.344-45(rev.ed.19967): Althoughmanydetailsremaintobeworkedout,itisalreadyevidentthat alltheobjectivephenomenaofthehistoryoflifecanbeexplainedby purelynaturalisticor,inapropersenseofthesometimesabusedword, materialisticfactors.Theyarereadilyexplicableinthebasisofdifferential reproductioninpopulations(themainfactorinthemodernconceptionof naturalselection)andofthemainlyrandominterplayoftheknown processesofheredity....Manistheresultofapurposelessandnatural processthatdidnothavehiminmind. (5)Sociobiologicalexplanationsofvarioushumantraits(Sundaysupplements)Herbert Simon'srecentarticle,"AMechanismforSocialSelectionandSuccessfulAltruism." Science vol.250(December,1990)pp.1665ff.(SimonwonaNobelPrizeineconomics, butiscurrentlyprofessorofcomputerstudiesandpsychologyatCarnegieMellon). why,asksSimon,dopeoplelikeMotherTeresa,ortheScottishmissionaryEricLiddel, ortheLittleSistersofthePoor,ortheJesuitmissionariesofthe17thcentury,orthe Methodistmissionariesofthe19th--whydothesepeopledothethingsthattheydo?Why dotheydevotetheirtimeandenergyandindeedtheirentirelivestothewelfareofother people?Ofcourseitisn'tonlythegreatsaintsoftheworldthatdisplaythisimpulse;most ofusdosotoonedegreeoranother.Mostofusgivemoneytohelpfeedandclothe peoplewehavenevermet;wesupportmissionariesinforeigncountries;wetry,perhaps infecklessandfumblingways,todowhatwecantohelpthewidowandorphan.<br><br> Nowhow,saysSimon,canweaccountforthiskindofbehavior:The rational wayto behave,hesays,istoactortrytoactinsuchawayastoincreaseone'spersonalfitness, i.e.,toactsoastoincreasetheprobabilitythatone'sgeneswillbewidelydisseminatedin thenextandsubsequentgeneration,thusdoingwellintheevolutionaryderby.("Fitness simplymeansexpectednumberofprogeny"(p.1665)). (Aparadigmofrationalbehavior,soconceived,wasreportedintheSouthBend Tribune ofDecember21,1991(datelineAlexandria(Va)):"CecilB.Jacobson,aninfertility specialist,wasaccusedofusinghisownspermtoimpregnatehispatients;hemayhave fatheredasmanyas75children,aprosecutorsaidFriday.") UnlikeJacobson,however,suchpeopleasMotherTeresaandThomasAquinas cheerfullyignoretheshortorlongtermfateoftheirgenes;whatistheexplanationofthis bizarrebehavior? Theanswer,saysSimon,istwomechanisms:"docility"and"boundedrationality": Docilepersonstendtolearnandbelievewhattheyperceiveothersinthe societywantthemtolearnandbelieve.Thusthecontentofwhatislearned willnotbefullyscreenedforitscontributiontopersonalfitness(p.1666).<br><br> Becauseofboundedrationality,thedocileindividualwilloftenbeunable todistinguishsociallyprescribedbehaviorthatcontributestofitnessfrom altruisticbehavior[i.e.sociallyprescribedbehaviorthatdoesnot contributetofitness--AP].Infact,docilitywillreducetheinclinationto evaluateindependentlythecontributionsofbehaviortofitness....Byvirtue ofboundedrationality,thedocilepersoncannotacquirethepersonally advantageouslearningthatprovidestheincrement, d ,offitnesswithout acquiringalsothealtruisticbehaviorsthatcostthedecrement, c (p.1667). TheideaisthataMotherTeresaoraBillyGrahamoraThomasAquinasdisplays "boundedrationality";theyareunabletodistinguishsociallyprescribedbehaviorthat contributestofitnessfromaltruisticbehavior(sociallyprescribedbehaviorwhichdoes not).Asaresult,theyfailtoacquirethepersonallyadvantageouslearningthatprovides thatincrement d offitnesswithout,sadlyenough,sufferingthatdecrement c exactedby altruisticbehavior.Theyacquiesceunthinkinglyinwhatsocietytellsthemistheright waytobehave;andtheyaren'tquiteuptomakingtheirownindependentevaluationof thelikelybearingofsuchbehavioronthefateoftheirgenes.Ifthey did makesuchan independentevaluation(andwererationalenoughtoavoidsillymistakes)theywould presumablyseethatthissortofbehaviordoesnotcontributetopersonalfitness,dropit likeahotpotato,andgetrighttoworkontheirexpectednumberofprogeny. notevenabeginningofaviableexplanation;shereflectedinherlimitedhumanwaythe magnificentsplendorofChrist'ssacrificialactionintheAtonement.Indeed,isthere anythingahumanbeingcandothatis more rational--moreinaccordwithreasonand withourultimatedestinyandultimategood--thanwhatshedoes?<br><br> (6)'fine-tuning'incosmology.Startinginthelatesixtiesandearlyseventies, astrophysicistsandothersnotedthatseveralofthebasicphysicalconstantsmustfall withinverynarrowlimitsifthereistobethedevelopmentofintelligentlife.Carand Rees: Thebasicfeaturesofgalaxies,stars,planetsandtheeverydayworldareessentially determinedbyafewmicrophysicalconstantsandbytheeffectsofgravitation....several aspectsofourUniverse--somewhichseemtobeprerequisitesfortheevolutionofany formoflife--dependratherdelicatelyonapparent'coincidences'amongthephysical constants."TheAnthropicPrincipleandtheStructureofthePhysicalWorld"( Nature , 1979p.605).forceofgravity,weakandstrongnuclearforces. variousinflationaryscenarios:"principleofindifference":agoodphysicaltheorywillnot permitthesecosmiccoincidences(ortheconsequentappearanceofdesign). (7)Scienceofmind:psychology.artificialintelligence,philosophyofmind:onevast researchprojectdedicatedtogivinganaturalisticaccountofsuchmentalphenomenaas consciousness,desire,belief,intentionality,qualia,andthelike.Fromatheisticpointof view,muchofwhatgoesoncanbeseenasmisguided.<br><br> (8)Scripturescholarship:can'tproperlymakeanytheologicalassumptionsinworkingat it(ErnstTroeltsch.VanHarvey: TheHistorianandtheBeliever 1966;JohnCollins, BarnabasLindars,manyothers.Butthisisaverydifferententerprisefromtryingtosee whatitisthatGodisteachingusinS.(3rdlecture). (9)psychologyandsociologyofreligion.Piaget.Thequestion:"Howcanpeople possiblybelieveinsupernaturalbeingsandforces,andwhateverdrivesthemtomake suchirrationalsacrificesinthenameoffaith?socialscientificthinkinghasbeen dominatedbythisquestion.Whenitisposedinthisway,socialscientistshavebeen virtuallyforcedtoframeanswersthatpostulatepersonalflawsinthosewhobelieveand sacrifice.Manyhaveofferedelaboratepsychopathologicalexplanationsofreligious commitment.Forothers,theexplanationofpreferencehasbeenignorance,usually definedintermsofculturalbackwardnessorfalseconsciousness."p.251,RodneyStark andRogerFinke TheChurchingofAmerica1776-1980 . (10)theassumption,inmostsociology,thathumanbeingsarenotreallyfreeand responsible.<br><br> Soonekindofneed:Christiancommunityhastobeawareofthesematters,inorderto maintainspiritualandintellectualintegrity(integrality). AsecondkindofreasonforneedforChristianscholarship: Jesus:LovetheLordyourGodwithallyourheart,withallyoursoulandwithallyour strength,andwithallyourmind. WhatisittolovetheLordwithallmymind?<br><br> ForfurtherdetailsaboutAlvinPlantinga'sviewsontheneedandnatureofChristian scholarshipandforhisviewsonwhathedescribesas"twoormorekindsofScripture scholarship,"seehisbooks: TheTwinPillarsofChristianScholarship (GrandRapids, Michigan,CalvinCollegeandSeminary,1990)and WarrantedChristianBelief (forthcoming). copyright ©1995-2002 LeadershipU .Allrightsreserved. Thissiteispartofthe TellingtheTruthProject .<br><br>

less