I believe that evolution explains nearly everything about us, and I certainly believe that it explains absolutely everything about the rest of the natural world. But I do not believe that evolution alone can account for our unique human consciousness. There is no evolutionary need, you see, for us to have such acute sensitivities of intellect and emotion. There is no practical need for the minds that we have. We dont need a mind that can play chess ... We dont need a mind that can invent religions or argue over our origins. We dont need a mind that causes us to weep at the opera. We dont need opera, for that matter—nor science, nor art. We dont need ethics, morality, dignity, or sacrifice. We dont need affection or love—certainly not to the degree that we feel it. If anything, our sensibilities can be a liability, for they can cause us to suffer distress. So I do not believe that the process of natural selection gave us these minds ... Do you know why I think we have extraordinary minds? ... I will tell you why we have these extraordinary minds and souls ... We have them because there is a supreme intelligence in the universe, which wishes for communion with us. This supreme intelligence longs to be known. It calls out to us. It draws us close to its mystery, and it grants us these remarkable minds, in order that we try to reach for it. It wants us to find it. It wants union with us, more than anything. — Alfred Russel Wallace talking to Alma Whittaker in The Signature of All Things
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 14:46:06 +0000
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