The Cato Institute: Cato Weekly Video
I like Michael Shermer.
Shermer is the gregarious skeptic/atheist/libertarian who deserves inclusion in the now famous Dawkins-Hitchens-Dennett-Harris axis of atheism. In his brief explanation of his book The Mind of the Market, he brings up the fascinating similarity between two complex systems: the market economy and biological evolution. He closes by remarking how conservatives need to accept evolution the way they've accepted market economics, and liberals need to accept markets the way they've accepted evolution.
This brings up an important point. We are programmed by evolution to see complicated things as products of design, particularly if they function well. Christian conservatives often see the ordered complexity of living things as evidence of intelligent design. Similarly, leftists believe that similar kind of "intelligent design" is necessary to bring order to an economy. Intelligent, elite experts must gather together to dictate the distribution of resources. Without human design, chaos must ensue.
What the leftists fail to realize is that no human intelligence can regulate the complicated dance of a vast, teeming, glorious economy like ours. God, at least, as an omniscient, omnipotent being, could have designed the complexity of life. The only problem is: he didn't.
Because he doesn't exist.
Probably.
Dig in, Everybody!
1 comment:
Is there a God? - yes and no. Is God immanent or transcendent? Maybe both. The God of the conservatives does not make sense. The liberal Taoists are correct in saying that the God that can be described in words is not the real God. Maybe God is like an artist or gardener or golfer who combines chance and uncertainty with intelligence and action. In other words, God maybe doesn't always know how each painting (or garden or game) is going to turn out.
Post a Comment