What the designer designed is the random-design process

[James E. Henderson]

Lan Barnes wrote:

>On Sat, Dec 04, 2004 at 08:30:44AM -0800, Lewis Wolfgang wrote:
>  
>
>>Hi Folks,
>>
>>Here's an interesting article about a professor teaching evolution
>>at a fundi Christian college.  The Prof says, among other interesting
>>things, "denying science makes us (Christian conservatives) look
>>stupid."
>>
>>Regards,
>>Lew
>>
>>** Nazarene professor has faith in his religion - and evolution
>>
>>    
>>
>
>-snip-
>
>I read this in the wild and agreed with the professor in a lot of
>things ... my exceptions were mostly interpretive.
>
>I certainly find that the more I learn about science, the more profound
>my awe for the universe.
>
>The professor was skipping Occam's razor, but the thing about old Occam
>is, it's a recommendation, not a requirement. I say universe, you say
>universe + God. Both of us fully explain (in so far as we can) the same
>set of observations. I don't know how to determine who's right.
>
>Maybe some day some cellular chemist will locate the genome for the
>belief in god(s); 
>  
>
That's pretty close to what they've done. They've located the place in 
the brain and isolated the chemical that produce the "god experience" 
that leads some people to a belief they have experienced communion with 
a higher power. They have also shown that belonging to a belief system 
("having religion") has survival value while being rational is a 
producer of stress that sometimes leads to madness, breakdown (either 
physical or mental) or stress-related illnesses such as diabetes.

Is it ironic that there is an evolutionary advantage to disbelief in 
evolution?

While I chose to be rational (or cannot avoid it), I am aware of the 
dangers and do my best to reduce or avoid the stresses associated with 
it. It is pointless to argue with a fundamentalist whose innocence / 
ignorance puts him in a position to outlive me or live better than me; I 
won't convince him while putting my life or wellness at risk. I'll cut 
my losses by concentrating on the young, uncommitted, truly innocent, 
who haven't yet had their education undermined by irrational processes.

>But whatever happens, I'm pretty comfortable that science gives me the
>best picture of what's going on around me here and now. So I thought
>this guy had a nice way of balancing it for himself, and I agreed, sort
>of.
>
>  
>
Yes, he gets the best of both worlds in many ways. He has the security 
of his faith, offering him a longer, more peaceful life, while 
continuing rational behavior.


James