More on Wilson's Creativity
In his interesting presentation of how the human brain and many aspects of social biology came about Wilson contends that "Natural selection as grand master of evolution means that humanity was not planned by any super-intelligence, nor was it guided by any destiny beyond the consequences of our own actions." [page 103 of E. O. Wilson, 2017, The Origins of Creativity, Liveright, New York.]
On page 6, he had said "Scientific explanations of organic life, including human life, routinely entail both proximate and ultimate causes." He contrasts that to the humanities attempting only proximate explanations and leaving ultimate cause to various entities, without much attention to the why of our existance.
On page 100 he says "Because of group selection, and its obvious consequences in the evolution of human social behavior, there is reason to suppose that the better angels of our nature need not be drilled into us under the threat of divine retribution, but are instead biologically inherited." He goes on to further recognize our amazing place in nature.
What Wilson Misses
God, as the Ultimate Cause, can take the chance events of natural selection, that we see as the operative principle of evolution, and use them to produce the remarkable human species. There are obvious bits and pieces of our evolutionary development based on various pre-human ancestors. But our disproportionately large brain has the capacity for performance well beyond what most of us achieve.
Wilson sees the humanities, language, and presumably the cumulative written record, as part of the cause of the gulf between us and the rest of the natural living world. He sees the good that results. I hope he comes to see that the good is God's results.
It is very difficult, for finite beings such as ourselves, not to underestimate the power, love, and majesty of the one infinite being, God. It is very much worth the effort to try to know God better. God already knows and loves each of us more than we do ourselves. It is awesome to consider the immensity of the universe and amazing diversity of life in a drop of pond water. I don't think God needs our input on how the world should be run. But we should make more effort for properly caring for our planet.
Joe Engemann Kalamazoo, Michigan February 1, 2017
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