(original post 22 Jun 2020)
Have you ever considered how prevalent the theory of evolution is in our modern society? Have you noticed how often evolution is referred to or given as an answer to a question? Have you heard people respond to questions with phrases like “evolution created…,” “evolution guides…,” “evolution selected…,” “evolution paved the way…,” etc.? Evolution, and its younger brother natural selection, are spoken of as if they were conscious beings (agents) rather than theorized natural forces.
The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy defines agency as “In very general terms, an agent is a being with the capacity to act, and ‘agency’ denotes the exercise or manifestation of this capacity. The philosophy of action provides us with a standard conception and a standard theory of action. The former construes action in terms of intentionality, the latter explains the intentionality of action in terms of causation by the agent’s mental states and events. From this, we obtain a standard conception and a standard theory of agency.[1]” Agents, such as humans or God, possess consciousness, that is a sense of awareness and the capacity to act. The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy goes on to describe consciousness and intentionality as, “To say you are in a state that is (phenomenally) conscious is to say—on a certain understanding of these terms—that you have an experience, or a state there is something it’s like for you to be in. Feeling pain or dizziness, appearances of color or shape, and episodic thought are some widely accepted examples. Intentionality, on the other hand, has to do with the directedness, aboutness, or reference of mental states—the fact that, for example, you think of or about something. Intentionality includes, and is sometimes seen as equivalent to, what is called ‘mental representation’.[2]” Herein lies the dilemma for naturalists, atheists, Darwinists, etc.
When they speak of evolution and / or natural selection, using terms which refer to agents, consciousness, and intentionality, they are making a category mistake. Evolution is often defined and described as an unguided process of change. Processes are not agents; they are the step-by-step method often used by agents exercising their intent. To call evolution unguided is to remove the possibility of an agent behind the process. If evolution is a guided process, the changes over time from generation to generation and species to species would be towards a purpose (established or imagined by the agent behind evolution). But naturalists, Darwinists, and atheists argue that there is no purpose to life; we exist by mere chance, by pure luck.
We don’t often hear similar references to other forces of nature. Gravity doesn’t “choose” to act upon matter and exert its force upon it. Thermodynamics don’t “select” a system upon which to impact. Plate tectonics don’t “target” a fault line to bring about an intended earthquake. To make such claims sounds absurd to say the least! Natural forces and laws are not conscious, they aren’t minds, they aren’t agents whereby their effects on the physical universe reflect their intent. To speak of them in such a way is misleading and erroneous.
However, as a Christian, I can refer to natural laws and forces as processes which reflect the intentionality of an agent (God). Gravity, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, etc. all fall under the purview of God as the Agent Who established them as a means of creating, ordering, maintaining, and sustaining His creation (Rom 11:36; Heb 1:3; Col 1:17). God fits the description of an Agent, Who exercises intentionality to display His creativity by making the universe, setting the limits of forces and laws, establishing the conditions for life to exist, and keeping everything in stasis and balance so that it doesn’t fall apart.
So, when you hear someone speak of evolution using terms and phrases which apply to agents and their intentionality, they are either doing so ignorantly, struggling to find appropriate words to describe what they’re trying to communicate, OR they are exposing the god they worship, revere, and bow to a divine and authoritative. In essence, they are treating evolution and natural selection as the god of the universe. As such, the challenges they pose upon Christians to defend God, they are now subject to the same scrutiny and skepticism.
~In Christ!
[1] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/agency/
[2] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consciousness-intentionality/
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