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– engine , transmission , doors , etc . – had to be built first before being put together on the assembly line , so that took additional time ).
The automobile evolved from the assembly line , but only because the assembly line , designed for that purpose , had already evolved in the mind of Henry Ford , who then brought the idea down into a physical form . Behind the natural history of the automobile , there is a spiritual pre-history . It is the same regarding all things that evolve : a car evolves from a design produced by finite human intelligence ; nature ’ s myriad forms are created by the infinite wisdom of a Divinely Human designer .
( WEO ) evolutionaries
A couple of years ago I read a book called Evolutionaries : Unlocking the Spiritujal and Cultural Potential of Science ’ s Greatest Idea by Carter Phipps . It is an interesting , lively , enjoyable read .
The author recounts stories of his visits and conversations with well-known proponents of evolution ( the “ evolutionaries ” of his title ), which serves to put a human face on the science . The book covers a terrific amount of ground and presents many questions , problems and thoughtful dialogue about them in a very readable and interesting way .
The author could hardly be more enthusiastic about how great the theory of evolution is , but he doesn ’ t shy away from acknowledging difficulties with it . He discusses eugenics , for instance , and its influence on Marx and Hitler . Such abuses , he says , “ are no more intrinsic to evolutionary thinking than fanaticism is to religious thinking , or nihilism to scientific thinking .” These are “ failures of immaturity – the regrettable and often reprehensible growing pains of a culture coming to terms with an idea as explosive as evolution .” ( p . 15 )
My impression that evolution is a quasi-religion is confirmed . “ Evolution , in this respect , has a unique capacity to be a source of spiritual fulfillment , of authentic meaning and purpose , renewing our faith in the possibilities of the future . and inspiring us to reach for those higher potentials , individually and collectively .” ( p . 16 )
Phipps also admits that “ proponents of exciting new fields sometimes overreach , and evolutionary psychology . . . is no exception . . . . Suddenly it ’ s in vogue to explain all of human behavior by appealing to Darwinian processes . . . as if religion , morality , altruism , love , evil , marriage , infidelity , music , poetry and so on can all be traced solely to the industrious activity of selfish genes .”
This unbridled , extravagant applying of evolutionary theory “ carries with it a dangerous reductionism that circumscribes rather than expands our insights into human life and culture .” ( p . 18 )
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