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"Human beings have always been struck by the complex harmony and intricate organization of the physical world. The movement of the heavenly bodies across the sky, they rhythms of the seasons, the pattern of a snowflake, a the myriads of living creatures so well adapted to their environment - all these things seem too well arranged to be a mindless accident. It was only natural that our ancestors attributed the elaborate order of the universe to the purposeful workings of a deity" (Davies 1994, p. 44). But with increased understanding that science has brought we no longer need explicit theological explanations for these phenomenon. We know that the laws of nature are such that "matter and energy can organize themselves into complex forms and systems" (Davies 1994, p. 44). The questions that remain concern why the universe is lawful and coherent and unified in this way. Why is it intelligible?

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Cosmic Questions

Was the Universe Designed? Topic Index
The Argument from Design: What is at Stake Theologically?

Contemporary Forms: Intelligibility and Suitability for the Emergence of Life

Introduction
Early Greek Philosophy and the Early Church
The Middle Ages: Classic Formulation
The Scientific Revolution: Challenges and New Forms
18th and 19th Centuries: New Form and New Challenges
20th Century: New Forms and New Challenges
Conclusion: What is at Stake Theologically?
References

Source:


Anna Case-Winters

A revised version of this paper was published in Zygon, March 2000, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 69-81.

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