Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Of suns and designers.

“It's natural to think that living things must be the handiwork of a designer. But it was also natural to think that the sun went around the earth. Overcoming naive impressions to figure out how things really work is one of humanity's highest callings.  (Can You Believe in God and Evolution? Time Magazine, August 7, 2005)” ― Steven Pinker

I see the sun it's like two inches wide. The earth is all around us and doesn't move. That stupid bright spot spends all day moving. It's obvious why people think the sun moves around the Earth, because it's obvious!

Now, why is it that evolved natural-selected things look so much like the handiwork of a designer? Why is that view the naive view. We can concede it's both the naive view and the wrong answer, but why are humans so inclined to think it's the right answer. What's the two-inch dot vs. panorama of planet reason why we think design is a good explanation for life, even if we scientifically know it's Darwin all the way back?

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