Thanks for this very insightful essay! I have a couple of comments, the first about teleology. I think our natural way of understanding our world is in teleological terms, we only understand a thing when we understand what it is for. For some there is a problem with this, and that is that this way of thinking has some pretty immediate consequences that they don't like. One is that moral principles can be seen as based on (teleological) fact, another is that it is natural to assume intelligence behind teleology, so the insight that God exists and has designed the world seems pretty inevitable once teleology is admitted. The great promise of Darwinism is that there is understanding without teleology. I think this involves a sleight of hand. Darwinism does not explain away teleology, but presupposes it, but this is certainly not the official story. However once it is admitted that there can be understanding without teleology, the rot begins: Now there is no purpose of anything: The professions (like medicine) have no purpose, human nature (including reproductive organs) have no purpose. Institutions , like the state, or education have no purpose. It is probably inevitable that we end up in the chaos we see now, where we cannot even understand what is wrong with things, that is if we do not go back to teleology, and start asking what things are for.
What a great insight. You are completely correct that there can be no thinking or acting that is intelligible and rational without a tells. One could say that Modernity is the attempt to do everything that humans have done for thousands of years without telos. It is literally insanity.
Thanks for this very insightful essay! I have a couple of comments, the first about teleology. I think our natural way of understanding our world is in teleological terms, we only understand a thing when we understand what it is for. For some there is a problem with this, and that is that this way of thinking has some pretty immediate consequences that they don't like. One is that moral principles can be seen as based on (teleological) fact, another is that it is natural to assume intelligence behind teleology, so the insight that God exists and has designed the world seems pretty inevitable once teleology is admitted. The great promise of Darwinism is that there is understanding without teleology. I think this involves a sleight of hand. Darwinism does not explain away teleology, but presupposes it, but this is certainly not the official story. However once it is admitted that there can be understanding without teleology, the rot begins: Now there is no purpose of anything: The professions (like medicine) have no purpose, human nature (including reproductive organs) have no purpose. Institutions , like the state, or education have no purpose. It is probably inevitable that we end up in the chaos we see now, where we cannot even understand what is wrong with things, that is if we do not go back to teleology, and start asking what things are for.
What a great insight. You are completely correct that there can be no thinking or acting that is intelligible and rational without a tells. One could say that Modernity is the attempt to do everything that humans have done for thousands of years without telos. It is literally insanity.