13 August 2005

Doubt, by design

Not all of my friends will like this post. I apologize in advance. I can't help it. I found such a perfect (if profane) explication of "intelligent design" that I must link to it. Really, I must.

Here it is.

Thank you, Kung Fu Monkey.

The part I like the best: God's best gift to us is doubt. Not that I believe in God. I don't. I do, however, believe in doubt, with all of my questing, curious heart. That's what I love so much about science: it doubts the obvious. Even the obvious must be proven.

Even in fantasies or fairy tales, the physical laws of the alternative reality are consistent, and do not depend on the aesthetics, whims, or desires of a deity. Philip Pullman's trilogy is an excellent example. Bending the rules of Lyra's Oxford world could have averted much heartache - but then, the story would not have maintained its integrity.

Certainly, the universe as we know it is complicated, but "intelligent design," like a deus ex machina, cannot explain it. Science may not yield all of the answers we yearn for, since we may never be able to design instruments to measure the complexities, but that's fine with me. I'll be satisfied with the answers that a rigorous application of the scientific method can provide.

1 comment:

Winged Heart said...

love the mary cassatt- the letter. in most of her paintings she used her sister as her model. she led a very passionate life and was close to her family members; they in turn were supportive. she was the first woman to be invited to exhibit with the impressionist of her time. she's my muse.