[Buddha-l] life force vis a vis Xianity & Hinduism

[Bob Zeuschner]

Allow me to share what I point out to students when an issue like this 
arises in a Buddhist thought class.
In addition to the fact that I.D. is not science (as has been clearly 
explained here), it is also worthless as an explanation.

r.g.morrison wrote:
> 
> How does Buddhism account for the complexity of phenomena and their 
> inter-relations other than by simply asserting a form of dependent 
> co-origination?  
> <
> 
> The simple answer is that it doesn't.  It is concerned with bringing to an 
> end the deeply rooted tendencies of greed, hatred, and stupidity in the 
> human mind.


In my class, the Intelligent Design folk note that Buddhism does not 
explain the original cause or the apparent design, and then feel that at 
least Intelligent Design provides a better explanation which solves the 
question of "why is there anything" and Buddhism does not answer it 
satisfactorily.

Intelligent Design says that science cannot provide an adequate 
explanation for a certain level of complexity, and therefore the better 
explanation is that the complexity was Intelligently Designed.

My reply: The Intelligent Design explanation is that "the world is the 
way it is because an incomprehensible being using incomprehensible 
forces/powers for incomprehensible reasons, designed it to be that way."

Appealing to the incomprehensible provides no explanation at all.

Bob Zeuschner
Dept. of Philosophy