RE: What If There Is No Big "T" Truth?
Agnosticism says it can't ever be known. That it's unknowable. To me, atheism is a more humble approach of "Yes, it could be possible, I just haven't seen convincing evidence yet so I won't claim to know it for sure." For example, we could be living in a simulation and at some point in the future we might even be able to prove this with useful contstructs. In that framework "god" becomes the simulation creator.
As for arguments via intelligent design, have you seen arguments for unintelligent design? Things which evolved in very poorly "designed" ways or aspects of the universe which are extremely hostile for the existence of life? Neil Degrasse Tyson has an interesting lecture on this topic.
Either way, we are drifting away from the core message of my post which is this: even if we disagree in our worldviews, can we agree on the importance of increasing wellbeing? Can we work together to decrease harm? Can we measure the usefulness of various approaches by how much they improve wellbeing?
If so, we can be brothers and live in peace.
Hmmm, "unintelligent design" . . . sounds like an oxymoron to me.
I have seen ATTEMPTS to argue it but they always seem to arrive at the same point - FAITH! In which you just have to BELIEVE that xyz is/worksin such and such a way.
The concept of "randomness" for example, there is no evidence that it is valid except that some processes "look" (presently) like they proceed unintelligently (no algorithm).
Well, it once LOOKED as if the Sun revolved around the Earth as well.
The only reason the concept of "randomness" (and MANY, MANY other "normal concepts) is BELIEVED is because of a reliance on absolute "determinism" (disbelief of all other possible explanations).
The word "random" is just a magical stand-in for "we-don't-know-how-this-works" and the only reason why we BELIEVE it is anything other than "magic" is because we discount (DISbelieve) ALL other possible explanation.
Perhaps what we see as "random" events are the result of a "decision" made on/at a level that we are not even aware of yet. (see, for instance: panpsychism (or etc.))