From the late, great Carl Sagan. He was right. In order to assume that a machine had been designed the person trying to identify it would have to know the concept of "machine." It has been said, I don't remember by who, that if the technology strange enough and powerful enough the "primitive" observers just might believe that the ones in possession are gods. Or demons. Probably depends on how those primitives view the universe.
Looking around me right now I'm tempted to come down on the demon definition. Or demon possession. Or insanity. Or dementia. Or damn fool, never before seen in this country or few others of freaking STUPIDITY. Forgive me for shouting.
Type
of Fallacy:
Begging
the question/assuming the answer
Definition:
This
occurs when a statement has an unproven premise. It is also call
circular reasoning or circular logic.
Example:
“A
man from a primitive culture who sees an automobile might guess that
is was powered by the wind or by an antelope hidden under the car,
but when he opens up the hood and sees the engine he immediately
realized that it was designed” Michael Behe Most of Behe’s
arguments say, if it looks designed, it must be so. This assumes the
answer to the question.
Riiiiiiiiiight.
The primitive tribesman who has never seen an engine is going to
assume that the engine he’s looking at is “designed.” More
likely it would be “what the hell is this? Never seen or heard of
anything like this before.”
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