ON THE LIMITS OF NATURAL CAUSES

Abstract

The debate surrounding the origins of first life focus on disproving the materialist doctrine that all that exists can be explained by matter, energy, space, time and the laws of physics, and that there is a chemical pathway to first life.  The Intelligent Design (ID) argument is that life is very complex, requiring high degrees of specified information, design, with vast coherence, making the probability of natural causes finding a viable life solution orders of magnitude longer than the age of the universe.

This paper posits another, more powerful ID argument based on two premises: 1) that outcomes of natural processes, defined as processes that follow the laws of physics with no intelligence involved, are limited due to logical constraints and 2) life is an intelligent process which is beyond the reach of natural causes.  The rationale behind these premises is explained in this paper, and a simple means of falsifying them posited.  The necessity to consider not only the design of life, but the actual building, starting and operation of life is invoked by the arguments presented here.

The research for this paper lead to findings that have significance:

  1. They show that there is intelligence embedded in life meaning that life itself is not just science, it is science plus logic (intelligence) which is in the realm of philosophy,
  2. They move the ID argument from life originating by natural causes from insanely improbable to impossible,
  3. They switch materialist argument regarding first life by agreeing that physics is not a constraint, but there are logical constraints against its formation by natural causes that are just as real.
  4. They provide basis for definitive, coherent definitions of life, science, engineering and sharpen the dividing line between science and philosophy,
  5. They provide a simple test that falsifies the idea that there is a chemical pathway to first life.

Next Section:  Background

© 2018 Mike Van Schoiack

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