[ExI] another dickhead for President

[Damien Broderick]

NYT babble from Sam Brownback:


If belief in evolution means simply assenting to 
microevolution, small changes over time within a 
species, I am happy to say, as I have in the 
past, that I believe it to be true. If, on the 
other hand, it means assenting to an exclusively 
materialistic, deterministic vision of the world 
that holds no place for a guiding intelligence, then I reject it.

There is no one single theory of evolution, as 
proponents of punctuated equilibrium and 
classical Darwinism continue to feud today. Many 
questions raised by evolutionary theory ­ like 
whether man has a unique place in the world or is 
merely the chance product of random mutations ­ 
go beyond empirical science and are better 
addressed in the realm of philosophy or theology.

The most passionate advocates of evolutionary 
theory offer a vision of man as a kind of 
historical accident. That being the case, many 
believers ­ myself included ­ reject arguments 
for evolution that dismiss the possibility of divine causality.

Ultimately, on the question of the origins of the 
universe, I am happy to let the facts speak for 
themselves. There are aspects of evolutionary 
biology that reveal a great deal about the nature 
of the world, like the small changes that take 
place within a species. Yet I believe, as do many 
biologists and people of faith, that the process 
of creation ­ and indeed life today ­ is 
sustained by the hand of God in a manner known 
fully only to him. It does not strike me as 
anti-science or anti-reason to question the 
philosophical presuppositions behind theories 
offered by scientists who, in excluding the 
possibility of design or purpose, venture far 
beyond their realm of empirical science.

Biologists will have their debates about man’s 
origins, but people of faith can also bring a 
great deal to the table. For this reason, I 
oppose the exclusion of either faith or reason 
from the discussion. An attempt by either to seek 
a monopoly on these questions would be 
wrong-headed. As science continues to explore the 
details of man’s origin, faith can do its part as 
well. The fundamental question for me is how 
these theories affect our understanding of the human person.

The unique and special place of each and every 
person in creation is a fundamental truth that 
must be safeguarded. I am wary of any theory that 
seeks to undermine man’s essential dignity and 
unique and intended place in the cosmos. I firmly 
believe that each human person, regardless of 
circumstance, was willed into being and made for a purpose.