[whattajoke]

Not sure I understand your question.

I was only wondering if, since you can't imagine life "happening" from non-life in the last 5+ billion years, and that you therefore resort to crediting an unnamed "intelligent agent," does that not then beg the question as to where/how this unnamed intelligent agent came to be.

[Mudtiger]

“I was only wondering if, since you can't imagine life “happening” from non-life in the last 5+ billion years, and that you therefore resort to crediting an unnamed “intelligent agent,” does that not then beg the question as to where/how this unnamed intelligent agent came to be.”

Firstly, I resort to crediting an intelligent agent as a possible cause based on what intelligent agents have demonstrated they can do - generate information.

It is no more necessary that the origin of the intelligent agent be known to accept it as a possibility than to accept the big bang when we have no idea how it came about either. Or accept evolution as the theory of how life changes and species arise when we do not know how the first life/species arose.

5+ billion years does not mean much without a credible mechanism.