Evolution and Reason

I have always been fascinated by Charles Darwin. His insights on the development of life on earth clearly has a revolutionary effect not only in terms of our understanding of life, it has shaped how man views himself in the light of his telos and his unending search for his meaning and his purpose.

Evolution is a concept that is undeniable in its actuality and unmistakable in its certainty. It is a manifestation of the dynamic nature of life and the power of life itself, in the spirit of Henri Bergson's elan vital, to aspire to a higher consciousness.

Reason is the only shield against the ignorance and creative suppression that religion has unfortunately wrought upon man. Sherlock Holmes, that fictional British inspector, puts it succintly when he said: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." From such words, it would be impossible to say that evolution did not exist, nor can we say it is unproven, for it would mean that the earth itself has always been the same from time immemorial. Science teachers us that the earth and life on it unfolded in a gradual manner, affected by the circumstances on earth, hence, life could not have existed at the same time that the earth was formed. Echoing the words of Sherlock Holmes, it would then be impossible for evolution not to have happened simply because life is a gradual unfolding, not a static event. The claims therefore of religion about the constancy of life and its manifest creation by a so-called "God" is a literary ejaculation, an exercise in creative writing. Proof must be based on the phenomenon of life itself and not on the creative machinations of any religious text.

All religions exercise an exclusive claim to the truth. And the truth for religion is revealed in a book, eliminating any rational and intellectual questioning that is the hallmark of any scientific endeavour. It proves its truth because it says it is the truth. It's truth is the truth because it is in a written "holy book." Is it reasonable?