A recent comment from the esteemed Mr. Malloy got me to thinking... Thomas sez:
> I'm reading John Sanford's Genetic Entropy and The > Mystery of the Genome. Dr. Sanford makes the case that > most mutations are deleterious, if not fatal, to the > individual. He contends that the web of life won't last > much longer. The primary thesis of the book is an attack > on the Primary Axiom of Evolutionary Biology, that > random mutations can spontaneously produce more > complicated and more fit life forms. > > I'm also reading Vance Ferrell's The Evolution Cruncher, > a 900 page expose on the absurdity of Evolution. So, I thinks to myself...something I find ironic about many thinly veiled religious scribblings on why Darwin's Theory of Evolution alone cannot by itself explain the progressive complexity of life is that it seems to be based on a profound sense of distrust of the observed rules of randomness. Randomness is somehow perceived as a kind of godless evil monkey wrench suspected to have been introduced by a nefarious agent of Satin just to confuse the faithful. I'll go as far as describing the distrust of randomness as a lack of faith in how (with apologies to my atheist friends) the Grand Dame of Design seems to bake her own cakes. Granted, on the surface Darwin's theory of evolution can seem kinda god-less. I guess for many the theory of evolution seems to reduce the pinnacle of human evolution to an obscene mindless crap shoot. As Einstein was once quoted to have said "God does not place dice with the universe." - To which Bohr retorted "Who are you to tell God what to do?" http://www.xs4all.nl/~jcdverha/scijokes/9_2.html Ironically I think Einstein's argument accurately depicts a position that many creationists (aka Intelligent Designers, or IDers) have unknowingly backed themselves into. From their perspective the observed machinations of "random selection" are somehow devoid of conscious/divine decision-making, which admittedly can feel a tad disquieting to those who really want to follow the rules - the RIGHT rules, of course. I guess for many IDers it is inconceivable for the Designer to have ever been suspected of throwing dice! Why, isn't gambling illegal in most states? For me, the divine irony in IDers who claim they know how the Designer REALLY bakes her cakes is that it assumes She regularly chooses on an unimaginable epic scale to completely disregard her own recipes. Its as if whenever the Designer's mysterious game plan seems to lack a certain luster, or when things are getting boring, inconvenient, when the soufflé isn't rising as hoped, IDers assumes the Designer saves the day by inserting a ringer into the arena. Through divine intervention, Behold! A brand new fully functional Toyota Prius drives off the parking lot. IDers are implying that the all-powerful, all-knowing and infinitely wise Designer snuck down to the local bakery to buy a ready made birthday cake. Ironically, IDers seem to have no faith or patience in the Designer's own baking skills. Perhaps more telling, it would seem that many IDers don't believe the Designer has any faith in her own baking skills, or should I say game board gambling skills. To which I suspect Bohr has already answered that concern adequately. And what about the rest of "All God's Creatures" walk'n, fly'n, and swim'n about, all them critters who painstakingly raised themselves up by their own boot straps through millions of years of meticulous trial and error. How are THEY goina feel regarding the fairness of the Designer's Divine Intervention when suddenly, with absolutely no regard to all the hard work they personally endured while meticulously following the rules, they are confronted with a brand new "model" miraculously placed at the front of the cafeteria line. It sure as hell would piss me off. Would make me want to go out and rob a bank or something like that. I would imagine most atheists feel a profound sense of comfort in the realization that there really is no "Designer" who could suddenly and whenever She felt like it manipulate the rules on a whim, inserting a brand new Lobster Flambé in the middle of a three course dinner consisting of chicken fricassee, chopped liver and Hamburger Helper. For atheists, the game plan really is up to us to make the best of what's on our dinner plate. When the Chef of Random Servitude dishes up a new culinary variation randomly assembled from yesterday's leftovers let the machinations of evolution decide whether it's a tastier bite, or not. (Hey! My spouse regularly subjects me to leftovers - every evening, and I ain't complaining!) Its been my experience that that most exciting board games of chance inevitably seem to boil down to compulsions of repeatedly experiencing the sheer terror of not knowing what the hell is going to happen next. For most of us game board participants that's often perceived as survival of the fittest. C'on! Whattaya waiting for! Throw the damned dice! Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.Zazzle.com/orionworks
