There is Nothing New Under the Sun

Here’s an interesting paradox: The idea that species can be changed by the pressure to reproduce in an unfriendly world is a moderate one, backed up by a fair bit of evidence. It’s also new. The unreasonable extrapolation of this idea leads some to conclude that chance is a sufficient explanation of all life. But THAT idea was already ancient before the Beagle had her keel laid. “We were born by mere chance,” say the ungodly men in the book of Wisdom, “…and reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our hearts.” In the last century before Christ, Lucretius explained in painstaking detail how everything from dirt to the human soul started with random swerving amongst an endless rain of primordial particles. Materialism doesn’t wait for scientific evidence, but goes right ahead and promises to explain everything very soon. We’d all be a bit less gullible if we kept in mind how old that promise is.