10.27.09
Schopenhauer, samkhya and design arguments in those who try to avoid them
I am very critical of design arguments. But I am also critical of NS arguments, so the question arises, how can we resolve the question in nature? My partial answer is Kantian, the idea of natural teleology.
In general it is interesting to look at the design arguments that arise in people who never embraced them, and, in fact, could be said to have tried to avoid them. Schopenhauer is one case.
Another might be Samkhya, and in the version of J.G. Bennett (cf. his The Dramatic Universe) we see that all reality is a blend of three factors, being, function, and will. (He was influenced by Schopenhauer). This means that in manifestation of material things the factor of ‘will’ is also present. In general, in such formulations the question of design, i.e. will, as a hybrid of mechanical and non-mechanical elements arises at all levels of nature, suggesting the failure of attempts at reductionism (seeing everything as function)>
Kant, design arguments, natural teleology | Kant’s Challenge said,
October 27, 2009 at 2:00 pm
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