Promissory Materialism


“chains of parallel and successive operations that build complexity” will eventually explain the diversity of forms (Carroll, S.B. 2005. Endless Forms Most Beautiful, Quercus Books, London, p. 105)


Just what are chains of operations that build complexity?   I can detect the vague promise and recognise the materiality context; the kind of materiality that describes what happens with the presumed hope that this mysteriously satisfies our desire to “know” something substantial about the phenomenon.  I am not kind and considerate like Rupert.  This is just the same old blabber materialists have been dishing out since they began pulling stuff to pieces in order to gain useful knowledge.


For years, I taught field engineers how to isolate problems with first main frames, then minicomputers and finally micros.  I assure you that the only useful knowledge that pulling any of the above to pieces in order to find out how it works will give you is just the number of pieces on the bench.  You will never, ever find out “how it works” this way.