In the history of science there is an oft told story about a confrontation between Bishop Wilberforce and Thomas Huxley. Wilberforce asks Huxley whether he believes he is descended from apes through his Grandmother or his Grandfather. To this Huxley replies that he prefers descent from an ape to descent from a man who misuses the gifts of his intellect. This was not a formal debate and both of these remarks were made at the spur of the moment, despite this spurious origin, the exchange found its way into scientific history.
I mention this incident because it’s a good example of how the science of origins continues to be discussed using singular words. Today the singular words are special creation and evolution.
During this 1860 exchange, Huxley narrowed his answer to single out ‘a man who misuses the gifts of his intellect.’ Wilberforce chose, Grandmother, or Grandfather, not both or the far more pluralistic ancestors. This is significant. Human beings like to find singular causes. This proclivity is very common even amongst scientist and philosophers who have studied the complexities of causation.
For those who have not studied causation let me say, any careful study of causation reveals that except in a very simple colloquial sense, there is no such thing as a single, simple, direct cause. Things that at first appear uncomplicated become intricate when every factor bearing on their cause is brought into the picture.
This book is about how things come to be. It does not shy away from the complexity of causation, but in this preface I’d like to indulge the human penchant for simplicity and say that if anything can be said to be the single, simple, direct cause for the creation of every single thing which ever has been or will be that cause is processes.
Everything is the direct result of processes.
When one thinks about it, this is fairly obvious.
Welcome to Process Creationism, a Theory of Everything.
Leave a Reply