I begin with my general background so that some may have a better understanding of how I arrived at my opinion and any possible underlying motivations. I am, de facto, a scientist by training and limited practice, which includes the attainment of advanced degrees. I somewhat infrequently attend, with my extended family, church services. I actually believe in behaving (albeit, not perfectly) as a Christian in my daily life and not publicly professing myself as a follower of Christ mainly in words only.
For brevity and getting to the point, my opinionated conclusion to date:
I believe, one can make a probabilistically strong argument for the existence of an intelligent plan of our world from a macro perspective (detailed below). However, while the ultimate source of this plan may be a spiritual deity, it could also be even more directly an enlightened alien life-form.
NetFlix video referenced is called āFantastic Fungiā and is also available here https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fantasticfungi . I am not associated with either source provider of this documentary or with the work itself.
My support for an intelligent design of the universe from a philosophical vantage actually occurred to me spontaneously (and I actually have to looked up whether such a philosophy even existed). Unlike pure scientific studies which focus on chemical complexities and other micro aspects including DNA to arrive at a possible support of a larger intelligent design, I believe I found a much stronger argument that is patently obvious at a more macro level. For example, the integration of many ecosystems, for example, trees providing fruit for animals where the trees could not actually know that such other life forms exist (although, one could argue that genetic permutations among trees actually produce such phenomena). The strongest and the largest example I recently discovered is presented in a NetFlix video ( ). This marvelous work by scientists, Illuminated me as to the fundamental role of fungi on planet Earth. Namely, fungi fundamentally recycle dead organic matter back into their essential elements. That is, the role of fungi is primarily one of a recycling system. Now, random mutation arguments could account for the formation and growth of many ecosystems. However, the likelihood thatās such an ecosystem, for its best sustainable advantage, would accidentally/randomly incorporate a highly efficient recycling aspect for its now deceased organic matter, is probabilistically highly unlikely, in my opinion.
Curiously, the ultimate source of this plan actually, in my speculative opinion, may not be a spiritual deity, per se, but could also be more directly an enlightened alien life-form. Arguably, supportive of the latter, are cave drawings depicting possible visits of alien spaceships. Also apparently, one does not have to go back in time to acknowledge the possible presence of extraterrestrial beings, as many world governments now acknowledge a UFO presence in our very skies.
This latter possibility, I must admit, presents an unexpected twist on my intelligent design quest.