Darwinism, Part Two

My professor asked me to follow up my comments on Darwinism with my assessment of the theory. However, this may turn out to be more of an assessment of myself than the theory!

I've discovered that I'm inconsistent in my opinion of science. That is to say that I'm quite content to let scientists be the authority on all things scientific, except this one particular theory. (Similar to fundamentalists who hail archeological discoveries that lend credence to the Biblical account but then criticize or try to undermine the integrity of archeology when it digs up dinosaur bones.)

The theory, for the most part is almost universally recognized. Wide acceptance isn't a proof of anything -- just look at the continued popularity of Adam Sandler -- but it is a good barometer of its worth among people who understand the methodology.

One approach to take is that God is the creator and it doesn't really matter how it happened. But isn't that kind of like the story of the Gremlin and the watch (247)? Does Occam's Razor indicate that the most obvious answer is usually the best?

Another approach is that God formed Adam as an adult, so perhaps the earth was created as a certain age? The fossil record, oil deposits, etc. were already there. Is this just another variation on the Gremlin?

Teilhard de Chardin got put away by the Catholic church for suggesting that religion and science were compatible. Still, I don't have a lot of faith in his Omega Point, in which "humanity...[evolves] toward perfection...where it will be fit for the Kingdom of God" (209). (Maybe I should write my final on this guy.)

Another opinion, which I alluded to in another post, is just to pick and choose what I like from a variety of philosophies, which doesn't make me any different from the other six billion people on the planet. This just doesn't sound intellectually honest anymore after this course.

The final thing is that my personal experience with God is so powerful that no philosophical arguments can chip away at it. There's something "burning bright" that keeps me connected. I can't explain it, but I live it. Maybe in the end that's the best account I can give of the hope that is in me.

WORK CITED

Pojman, Louis P. Who Are We? New York: Oxford, 2006.