Short Thread on "chance" evolution and Islam.

Thread.

Some people object to evolution on the idea that events can not happen in the world by "chance" and thus mutations and subsequent changes could not have just happened by mere "chance" or "randomly".

Worth defining at this point what chance is before proceeding.

Chance or randomness is when the initial conditions can not determine the outcome. I can not know for example what state a quantum particle might he in or what water molecule will go where in the ocean.

More relatable example include gambling or lotteries that we see.

The Islamic tradition recognizes that chance like events from this definition occur. The prophet (saw) use to draw lots when deciding on which wife he would take on a trip with him.

Similarly Islamic law recognises certain games and activities to be forbidden based on chance.

So chance is clearly a feature of the world by the definition we have given. However from a metaphysical perspective what does that mean? What is the reality of chance? It it an event that occurs without some prior determination entirely? Or are there guiding forces?

Here its worth considering epistemic chance with ontological views.

Epistemic relates to our knowledge of the world and what's happening within it.

Whilst *WE* may not be able to determine what side a coin may land it is theoretically possible to know what will happen.

Similarly, there may be events that can be predicted given how the environment is currently working, what conditions there are, and all knowledge about the atoms and molecules of the time that give rise to a mutation that necessitate (factually) that it will occur.

As Muslims we believe God is the creator of every event. That means all causes, their effects, and the objects that are related to them in some temporal space are made by God.

Thus any chance like activity that occurs is ultimately through God as well.

The crucial difference here is that epistemically we don't know but God knows what the determine outcome will be and ontologically even if an outcome is novel and not determined at all by prior conditions it's still done by God in our metaphysics.

When scientists imply that the suns gravity causes the motion of the planets we don't see that as an alternative explanation to God. They simply see these causes and effects as concrete without any further substantistion for contingent reality we believe that God actualisss them.

So in essence we believe God is the sole cause of all events.

That any chance like events are also caused by God. From that perspective there is no conflict between theism and evolution.