David Brooks, a conservative columnist for the New York Times, wrote in an editorial entitled “The Age of Darwin” that evolution has become the “unifying grand narrative” of the modern age. [2007]
Quotes and comments;
1. "And it occurred to me that while we postmoderns say we detest all-explaining narratives, in fact a newish grand narrative has crept upon us willy-nilly and is now all around. Once the Bible shaped all conversation, then Marx, then Freud, but today Darwin is everywhere....
According to this view, human beings, like all other creatures, are machines for passing along genetic code. We are driven primarily by a desire to perpetuate ourselves and our species....''
- Human beings aren't machines Mr. Brooks. Not even close. The idea man is a machine for passing on code is the most idiotic idea anyone has ever dreamed up. This is just an analogy of course; and a misleading one. Machines are tools invented by human beings, to do work. It would be more accurate to call evolutionary theory a machine, than it is to call human beings machines. (In this case the 'work' would be to eradicate Christianity.)
- Gee David; I thought postmoderns denied the existence of truth. What's this 'truth' you're talking about?
- evolution isn't a 'newish' narrative at all; as even school children should know. It's been around for at least 2 thousand years. (But apparently PMs aren't big on reading books; at least not history books.)
- Look around NY sometime Mr. Brooks. Do you see people driven primarily by a desire to reproduce themselves? Give me a break.
- note that an important (to say the least) implication of what Brooks (or the genes that use him for a mouthpiece) is saying; the inescapable implication is that life is an illusion. (So then we have 'science' not revealing the truth, or reality, but telling us life is an illusion created for us by some genes.)
2. "Evolution doesn’t really lead to anything outside itself. Individuals are predisposed not by innate sinfulness or virtue, but by the epigenetic rules encoded in their cells.''
- we might wonder how he knows this, but let's ask him a question; ''why then do some people affirm atheism (materialism) and some affirm creation?" (And why are they so bothered by the debate over origins?) And why are you taking time out from procreating to tell us this?
- you speak of code. Let's talk about code then. Even if what you say is true, who wrote this code? who programmed these rules into human beings?
Notes;
1. Reference article; Creation - Evolution Headlines 4/27/2007
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