It seems that many ‘Believers’ are loath to discard even the shoddiest of gods in order to cling to the notion that humans are the very reason for ‘Creation’. It appears that gene theory and the change of allele frequency over time have escaped their notice and understanding. It also seems that such notions of human supremacy have taken over whatever appreciation they should have that there are other sentient species on this little planet.
Apologists such as Irish mathematician, John Lennox, romanticize the human capacity for rational thinking by limiting rational thought to our own species. While the concepts of sentience and consciousness are hotly discussed and considered, the answer to this thorny set of issues must, most certainly, not be relegated to an answer in broad strokes which portray a deity at the core. Such thinking is deleterious to true understanding. Evidence of that can be found in the litter of history from Copernicus to Darwin.
Mr Lennox states that “Humans alone are created as rational beings in the image of God, capable of a relationship with God and given by him the capacity to understand the universe in which they live.” Of course, this presupposes the existence of ‘god’ as creator and first mover and offers nothing to substantiate those claims. It’s a single, simple quote but it does reveal a vast error in the judgment of the Humboldt Prize winner, apart from the unsubstantiated presupposition that god exists.
Lennox also asserted, “Either human intelligence ultimately owes its origin to mindless matter; or there is a Creator. It is strange that some people claim that it is their intelligence that leads them to prefer the first to the second.” Obviously, this is an argument from ignorance or personal incredulity. The underlying contention is that humanity above and beyond nature. The prideful declaration also exhibits that ego-centric notion that humankind somehow must only be considered as a special case; apart from matter, nature and natural forces.
That error in thinking derives from romanticizing the mental abilities of Homo Sapiens and ignoring the development of the species and ignoring evolutionary processes all together. Thinking like Lennox’s infers that rationality and sentience are restricted by deific fiat to one sole species; ours. Lennox has divorced his own impressive mental abilities from the facts of evolution. He off-handedly dismisses the bit–by-bit development of the primate brain. He disregards the radical growth of the neo-cortex in our species. He disregards the voluminous evidence that the human brain is a product of millions of years of minute genetic change. He, instead, leap-frogs to the warm, fuzzy thinking that humans are the ‘crown of creation’; made in the image of the ‘Creator’.
Ain’t that sweet?
Not at all; it is woefully pathetic. It is pathetic that an otherwise erudite scholar would short-circuit his own brain so as to comfort himself in a false understanding of the human species and its position in the evolutionary scheme of things. Lennox has debated Dawkins and so it should be clear that Lennox’s mind is shut tight to the idea that evolution isn’t a ladder with higher and higher rungs indicating higher and higher levels of development. Lennox is enamored with cozy, self-assuring thought that humans are center-piece of the universe and are the ‘Crown of Creation’.
This wayward notion lies at the heart of the bogus ‘Fine Tuning’ argument so cherished by apologists. That fallacious argument asserts that the universe was made precisely for humankind. (Review Douglas Adams’ charming and apt ‘sentient puddle’ analogy.) Homo Sapiens has not and will never achieve ‘supremacy’ in an imaginary race to an imaginary end. Evolution has intended no special place for our species in this bio-sphere. However, for apologists such as Lennox, the notion that humans are not the collective ‘golden child’ of a fanciful creation myth is not willfully discarded.
How unfortunate.
Lennox’s is a childish stance. His is a pre-adolescent ego trip. His world-view is one that is ego-centric. The vast, hostile nature of the universe means nothing to the child. As long as he suckles contentedly at the teat of his god-delusion which feeds his own ego as his god’s ‘Golden Child’, he’s comforted. The comfort afforded the willfully ignorant should be abhorrent to all thinking, rational people.
As Bill Moyers stated, “We seem to prefer a comfortable lie to the uncomfortable truth. We punish those who point out reality, and reward those who provide us with the comfort of illusion. Reality is fearsome .. but experience tells us that more fearsome yet is evading it.”
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