Thanks Frank. The idea that we experience emotions explains our sense of morality is interesting, but I don't see how that works. As you point out, animals experience emotions. Does that mean they have the same moral sense as humans? If you base morality on emotions, it seems you would have to say, as Yuval Harari did in Sapiens, that all emotions and morals are the same as they are allowed by nature, there is no such thing as right or wrong. So the emotion that leads a person to do horrific things to a child for example is just a part of nature. You can say that our idea of such harm is a "myth" as Harari says, but that denies the universal experience of the very idea of good and evil, right and wrong.
You say to posit intelligent design some questions have to be answered. Most certainly. Some are quite difficult to answer for sure. But the same is true of physicalism. I have asked a lot of those questions in previous posts, particularly in the whole series called The Case Against Physicalism.
In answering some of the questions you raise, such as predation, I have repeatedly noted that God created a good universe, as he himself declared, but it was hacked. Evil exists. The world is not exactly what you want, nor what I want, nor what God wants. How do I know that? Because we were taught to pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That means it is not always done here.
Of course, I realize I am not going to convince you of my perspective. But here at bottom line is how I see things. Either God exists or he doesn't, either he/she/it is good or is not, either God is love and cares even about me or he doesn't. I can choose based on the evidence I see and I can choose even my preferences. About 40 years ago my wife and I were expecting our third child. We had two beautiful boys and I really wanted a girl. Before we knew what we were getting I chose to imagine a beautiful daughter who would be a delight of my life. We intended this child to be our last so I thought that this is the only opportunity I have to fantasize about such an eventuality. Soon I would know if it was a girl or boy, but in the meantime, I could choose to think on the future I preferred.
That is how I see the choice. I don't know. You don't know. We have our reasons to believe one way or the other. But if there is no God or there is no love, no goodness, no life after, then it doesn't matter. But, if there is, all my hopes and dreams and fantasies will be fulfilled. A sort of Pascal's wager, I suppose.
Oh, and our third child? The most beautiful and amazing daughter this world has ever seen!
