Sunday, February 29, 2004

Decent Darwinism...

Ed the Evolutionist, over at Dispatches from the Culture Wars, has a post on the Religious Right that relishes in the apparent fact that they have lowered their expectations with regards to issues such as gay marriage. What struck me about his post though wasn't that topic, but the way in which he ended the post:
The culture war isn't going well for the religious right. Another victory for true decency.
True deceny? Why is it that Darwinists continue to hold on to ideas such as decency, morality, justice, and rights? Actually, what I should ask is: Why do inconsistent Darwinists continue to hold on to such ideas? If nature is all there is, then all the intricacy within our bodies came about through natural selection working with chance mutations over great periods of time. This Blind Watchmaker is not limited to just the physical aspects of our bodies but, by definition, must apply to our impulses as well. Morality? It cannot be absolute and separate from our minds for that would mean it is not natural, that is, it would be supernatural. Morality, if it exists at all, must be relative in the naturalistic worldview. But if morality can mean anything, then it ultimately means nothing. Watch for Darwinists to trip up in this area... the dreaded word "ought" will be their undoing.

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