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Compatibility or Incompatibility of the Evolution Theory with the Teleological Argument

Mohamadzadeh Vatanchi, Mohamad | 2023

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 56743 (42)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Philosophy of Science
  6. Advisor(s): Hosseini Sarvari, Hassan
  7. Abstract:
  8. In this article, we will examine the theory of evolution through natural selection and we will show that the evidence in favor of natural selection is so great that today this theory has been fully accepted by the scientific community. The theory of evolution had many philosophical and theological consequences; One of its direct consequences was the weakening of teleological arguments and specifically the argument of William Paley's plan; Because in the light of this theory, the existence of features with functions and complex adaptations of living things can be explained without the need of designing a supernatural agent. Despite this, biology still uses concepts such as function, which has a teleological flavor, in its explanations. In the third chapter of this article, we will take a closer look at the concept of function in biology and we will show that not necessarily all the characteristics of living things are adaptive characteristics, and in some cases we even see bad designs in organisms. The existence of these bad designs may challenge the maximum understanding of intelligent design theory. In the fourth chapter, we will examine the point of view of Michael Behe, who is one of the contemporary defenders of intelligent design theory. His theory is based on the concept of irreducible complex systems. Behe claims that the emergence of some organisms cannot be explained through Darwinian evolution; Therefore, to explain these phenomena, we need the concept of intelligent design. Behe emphasizes that his theory is purely a scientific theory and does not make any philosophical or theological claims. At the end, we will state some reasons for and against the scientificity of the new intelligent design theory
  9. Keywords:
  10. Natural Selection ; Argument from Design ; Adaptation ; Intelligent Design Theory ; Irreducible Complexes ; Functionalism ; Cumulative Changes

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