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  Topic: Sympathetic magic, parallels between ID and symp. magic?< Next Oldest | Next Newest >  
mark isaak



Posts: 1
Joined: May 2002

(Permalink) Posted: May 06 2002,11:04   

It occurred to me that ID and sympathetic magic probably share a common psychological basis.  In sympathetic magic, it is believed that there is a link between A and B because A shares properties with B.  For example, a voodoo doll shares appearance with a person, so a link is supposed to exist between them, and harming the doll is supposed to harm the person.  (There is more to it than that, but that is enough for illustration.)

With ID, life and machines share some properties in common, such as moving parts and a certain amount of complexity.  That is enough to suggest a link between them, which leads to the idea of designers for both.

I think I'm overanalyzing the situation.  Probably the psychology behind ID is much more basic, and I don't need to draw in sympathetic magic.  But you wanted the bullitin board tested, so I had to write something.

  
Wesley R. Elsberry



Posts: 4991
Joined: May 2002

(Permalink) Posted: May 06 2002,12:31   

I don't think it is an overanalysis of the situation.  Take a look, for instance, at William Dembski's book, No Free Lunch, and section 1.8 therein.  Within that, you'll find him discussing an argument by analogy eerily similar to your description.

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"You can't teach an old dogma new tricks." - Dorothy Parker

    
scarletohairy



Posts: 1
Joined: May 2002

(Permalink) Posted: May 06 2002,18:55   

Well, analogies may work.  Who's to say?  Actually, science.  When science finds no reason to connect elements in the world, it needs to refrain from assuming connections.  Sympathetic magic has not been found to work, so science need not assume the claimed connections.  Likewise, the analogy between machines and biological structures, although it may sometimes help thinking about either (e.g., about energy flows, work, and so on), requires no assumption about commonality in design.

  
  2 replies since May 06 2002,11:04 < Next Oldest | Next Newest >  

    


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