From The Poached Egg: How Darwinism dumbs us down

From Nancy Pearcey:

To understand how Darwinism undercuts the very concept of rationality, we can think back to the late nineteenth century when the theory first arrived on American shores. Almost immediately, it was welcomed by a group of thinkers who began to work out its implications far beyond science. They realized that Darwinism implies a broader philosophy of naturalism (i.e., that nature is all that exists, and that natural causes are adequate to explain all phenomena). Thus they began applying a naturalistic worldview across the board–in philosophy, psychology, the law, education, and the arts…

In a famous essay called “The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy,” Dewey said Darwinism leads to a “new logic to apply to mind and morals and life.” In this new evolutionary logic, ideas are not judged by a transcendent standard of Truth, but by how they work in getting us what we want. Ideas do not “reflect reality” but only serve human interests.Nancy Pearcey, “How Darwinism Dumbs Us Down” at The Poached Egg

Indeed. And then it falls apart because, obviously, those are ideas too. Then we can’t be sure that we are conscious but our coffee mug is not.

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See also: Panpsychism: You are conscious but so is your coffee mug

and

How can consciousness be a material thing? A surprising implication of Darwinism and materialism. Materialist philosophers face starkly limited choices in how to view consciousness. In analytical philosopher Galen Strawson’s opinion, our childhood memories of pancakes on Saturday, for example, are—and must be—”wholly physical.”

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