Part 2 – First Principles
A fundamental epistemological question is, how is it we know anything at all? We can begin with our own existence; that we can contemplate our own existence is as sure an indication as possible that we do actually exist.
We also experience thoughts that are not our own which is indicative of the existence of others. This could be illusory, but that implies the existence of at least one other entity to create the illusion or we are utterly solipsistic, in which case use of the word “we” is mistaken.
There are two possibilities, either the universe is real or an illusion. If it is the latter it continues to be presented as reality and we can only interact with it on that basis. And actually there are no grounds for presuming the universe is anything other than real.
Our senses provide useful information in the day to day world, but there are problems of scale when contemplating the universe. At the macro level, the universe is too vast for our senses, and at the micro, too small.
Nonetheless, we are able to draw conclusions even if full comprehension is beyond us. Every tangible thing in the universe, including us, is made from molecules. These are constructed from atoms created by stellar fusion and obey strict rules. They consist of sub-atomic particles extending beyond sub-quarks.
At every level materials are self-organizing according to the dynamics of the universe: gravity, speed of light, attractive and repulsive forces acting on electrons and protons. For all this to take place there is a requirement for the universe to be finely tuned. If it was even slightly otherwise than it is, none of what there is could be.
The universe has the necessary complexity for all the processes required for the eventual emergence of sentient and intelligent life from sub-atomic particles largely made up of space. It is also orderly enough for intelligent life to come to an understanding or those processes and learn to manipulate them to create technology from the wheel to particle colliders.
This is the salient point, the universe is susceptible to intelligent manipulation, admittedly relatively small scale as far as human achievement so far. Nonetheless, design appears to be a fundamental feature of the universe, whether intelligent in the human sense or immanent in a universal sense.
For pandeism, that which is commonly called God is manifested as the universe, the divine cause of all subsequent effects. There isn’t a supernatural deity to be appealed to as deity is expressed in and through creation, which is why it operates according to discernible laws and is comprehensible to us.
Essentially we, and any other intelligent sentient life in the universe, are proof the universe is aware of its own existence. The designs we concoct reflect the nature of design operating universally, demonstrating that design is a first principle of the universe.
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