In response to An Alien God
Comment author: spacecowboy76 29 September 2009 02:10:28PM -4 points [-]

Sorry, but I disagree. There is an evolution fairy. There are billions of them. What guides the course of evolution among more developed species are the species themselves, aka evolution fairies or the intelligence inherent in all living things. I like to call it survival of the sexiest.

A snake with rattles is more likely to survive and prosper than one without it and this makes him "sexier" to the other females. They consciously decide that they want some of that (although they may not know exactly what That is) and flock to him. This is what keeps the rattle-construction genes afloat.

In response to comment by spacecowboy76 on An Alien God
Comment author: vimrich 01 November 2009 09:27:41PM -6 points [-]

The problem with this, and with the entire concept in the article is that "reason" (design, purpose, whatever) depends on choice, the concept that we are able to decide to act a certain way, or believe a certain thing. But there's no basis for choice in nature - physics at every level is either random (probabilistic) or deterministic (cause and effect), and neither can be considered "choice." Therefore, there is no fundamental difference scientifically between a wristwatch, or a beehive, or the pattern of raindrops in a storm, or an atom of Hydrogen. If ANY of those things are considered to be "designed" the one making that claim has to explain how humans (or intelligence) somehow transcended the laws of nature to go beyond the "blind idiot god" that describes all other phenomena.

Design, purpose, choice, reason, the ability to "think and choose" - THESE are the things that only a God can really explain. The real question for theology is "since we design things, how can we exist or come from a universe which is so clearly and totally not designed?" Only something outside of that nature could explain the existence of Reason itself.

In short, the author is looking for God in the wrong place. Or else, we all are just living an illusion that we can choose to agree or disagree with he or I.