One surprising implication of Intelligent Design theory is that intelligent agents must be immortal.
First, let's define immortality. Immortality is not the same as indestructible. Something may be immortal, but still capable of being taken out of existence. What immortality means is that the thing will not decay and cease to exist through the normal course of events.
Now, many are probably familiar with the famous syllogism: "All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal." What is it that makes men mortal? It is that our human bodies decay, and eventually reach the point where they no longer function. It is quite clear that through the normal course of events human bodies are mortal.
However, let's say we have an intelligent agent with a physical body. Just because the physical body decays does not mean the intelligent agent is mortal. Why do I state this? The question to ask is: is an intelligent agent identical to its body? If not, then the destruction of the body does not necessarily entail the destruction of the agent.
So, is the agent identical to its body? Intelligent Design theory states this is not the case. All intelligent agents are distinguished by their ability to create CSI. But, necessity and chance cannot create CSI. The physical body is a mechanism of necessity and chance, and consequently cannot create CSI. Since the agent can create CSI and its body cannot, the agent is clearly not identical to its body as it is capable of something the body cannot do.
Furthermore, the agent cannot be a result of the body. Just as the body cannot itself create CSI, it cannot create something else that creates CSI, as it would then be creating CSI indirectly. So, if the agent, being a creator of CSI, therefore does not come from the body, then removing the body does not remove the source of the agent. Consequently, whatever the agent is is not subject to the same decay the body undergoes.
If the process of decay is what makes the body mortal, and the agent is not subject to the process of decay, the agent cannot be mortal. Therefore, intelligent agents are immortal.
First, let's define immortality. Immortality is not the same as indestructible. Something may be immortal, but still capable of being taken out of existence. What immortality means is that the thing will not decay and cease to exist through the normal course of events.
Now, many are probably familiar with the famous syllogism: "All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal." What is it that makes men mortal? It is that our human bodies decay, and eventually reach the point where they no longer function. It is quite clear that through the normal course of events human bodies are mortal.
However, let's say we have an intelligent agent with a physical body. Just because the physical body decays does not mean the intelligent agent is mortal. Why do I state this? The question to ask is: is an intelligent agent identical to its body? If not, then the destruction of the body does not necessarily entail the destruction of the agent.
So, is the agent identical to its body? Intelligent Design theory states this is not the case. All intelligent agents are distinguished by their ability to create CSI. But, necessity and chance cannot create CSI. The physical body is a mechanism of necessity and chance, and consequently cannot create CSI. Since the agent can create CSI and its body cannot, the agent is clearly not identical to its body as it is capable of something the body cannot do.
Furthermore, the agent cannot be a result of the body. Just as the body cannot itself create CSI, it cannot create something else that creates CSI, as it would then be creating CSI indirectly. So, if the agent, being a creator of CSI, therefore does not come from the body, then removing the body does not remove the source of the agent. Consequently, whatever the agent is is not subject to the same decay the body undergoes.
If the process of decay is what makes the body mortal, and the agent is not subject to the process of decay, the agent cannot be mortal. Therefore, intelligent agents are immortal.
