By Ali Harfouch
Often, while we are painstakingly reading through a biology textbook or blissfully watching the sunset with a loved one, we are faced with a striking reality: Everything around us has a purpose. Be it the cells in our body, or the orbiting planets, or even the creases in our fingers - they all have a function. Socrates knew what he was talking about when he said, "This world appears in such a manner which gives no possibility to coincidence."
This becomes even more obvious when we observe that all these different creations are in perfect and fused harmony. The intricate functioning of our organs and the orbiting patterns of the sun and moon point toward a system that cannot be ignored by the curious mind. For example, a car has several functions. The air-conditioning system, the engine, the windows, all of which are inter-dependent, all have different functions, yet the car and its parts have a united purpose: transportation.
Similarly, one can say the same about our universe. Astrophysicist and Nobel Laureate Arno Penzias observed that "Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life, and one which has an underlying (one might say "supernatural") plan."
Every single constant and creation around us serves a specific purpose and functions around the stability and preservation of mankind. This realization leaves one with a deep yet honest question: Are humans - one of the most intricately designed creatures - left without a purpose?
Often, while we are painstakingly reading through a biology textbook or blissfully watching the sunset with a loved one, we are faced with a striking reality: Everything around us has a purpose. Be it the cells in our body, or the orbiting planets, or even the creases in our fingers - they all have a function. Socrates knew what he was talking about when he said, "This world appears in such a manner which gives no possibility to coincidence."
This becomes even more obvious when we observe that all these different creations are in perfect and fused harmony. The intricate functioning of our organs and the orbiting patterns of the sun and moon point toward a system that cannot be ignored by the curious mind. For example, a car has several functions. The air-conditioning system, the engine, the windows, all of which are inter-dependent, all have different functions, yet the car and its parts have a united purpose: transportation.
Similarly, one can say the same about our universe. Astrophysicist and Nobel Laureate Arno Penzias observed that "Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life, and one which has an underlying (one might say "supernatural") plan."
Every single constant and creation around us serves a specific purpose and functions around the stability and preservation of mankind. This realization leaves one with a deep yet honest question: Are humans - one of the most intricately designed creatures - left without a purpose?
You make a very good point. However, teleology - saying that things have a final cause or purpose - is criticized of being a subjective label, in the same fields of science you mentioned above: in biology, for instance, what Richard Dawkins refers to as 'the illusion of design' (meant for the perfection of cellular machinery, functions of organs and adaptation of species) is merely due to the naturalistic phenomena of natural selection. In other words, the only reason for why an eye amazingly fulfills its purpose is because it was useful 3 billion years ago, and over the course of evolution, it was enhanced by random mutations and selection.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly for astronomy, the argument that our planet, galaxy and universe are 'fine-tuned' does't eliminate the possibility that other not-so-perfectly-designed universes exist out there. Some even go the extra mile to say that physical 'constants' and 'laws' exist only in the mind of human beings (known as mind-dependent realism) and that there's no way we could find out that the world is actually the same way we say it is.
Yet this is expected for all who wish to transcend empirical observations to metaphysical conclusions. We can reply by asking: if design in biology was never a necessary or predetermined act, can natural selection explain why organisms evolved to a mind-blowing level of complexity when they didn't have to? I'm talking about numerous proofreading mechanisms in DNA copying, the intricate process of conducting an immune response, the ultrasonic speed of a snap-your-fingers stimulus and much more. But even then, the criticism of natural selection is tricky and requires further knowledge. As for the multiverse theory, it's enough to say that it isn't observable after all. Finally, if we assume a world were everything was designed for a purpose, would it - in anyway - differ from ours?
(Sorry for the long reply, I hope it served the purpose :) )