Is Man Just a Higher Animal?
“You are an animal,
but a very special one. Mostly bald, you’re an ape, descended from apes; your
features and actions are carved or winnowed by natural selection. But what a
special simian you are.”
The above is a quotation from an article titled ‘The human league: what separates us from other animals?’ written by Adam Rutherford and published on the Guardian.com. While the writer of the article admits that his comments could be ‘treacherous, and riven with contradictions,’ he still goes ahead to state that ‘We know we are animals, evolved via the same mechanisms as all life.’ In this article, we will be examining one question that has been a source of debate among scientists and philosophers for many centuries: is man just a higher animal? Despite the many attributes that man shares with other animals, we hope to discover if there is perhaps one thing that sets man apart from the rest of God’s created beings.
The God of Newton, Einstein and Hawking
Among scientists who have launched deep and extensive inquiries into the origin, the nature and the possible fate of the universe, the names of Newton, Einstein and Hawking are perhaps the most notable. While these men are simply renowned as brilliant scientists, they also spoke loudly on religion and were often confronted with the question of whether God exists or not. There is no doubt that Newton, Einstein and Hawking pried into things that many others did not dare to pry into. Some of their works focused on finding out ‘what was in the mind of God’ at creation, or whether there is even a God at all. In these times when atheism appears to be gaining more popularity than ever, many people are still unsure whether science actually proves or denies the existence of God. And while we cannot know with certainty what thoughts or perplexities must have inundated the minds of Newton, Einstein and Hawking, even as they also could never have been able to fathom the mind or capture the thoughts of an eternal and invisible God, we will nonetheless proceed to review some of their works and comments and also hope to find a reasonable answer to this same longstanding question: Is there a God behind the creation of the universe?
The Truth About Atheism
While it is true that atheism is becoming more and more popular by the day, it is equally important to know why this is so. First, we must understand that atheism is not a new phenomenon, and that it has absolutely nothing to do with increase in scientific knowledge or advancement in technology. While it might be easy for atheists to label those who believe the Bible as ignorant, the notion becomes invalid when we consider that many of the greatest scientists that ever lived believed firmly in the Bible. Both theism and atheism also have nothing to do with how intellectual a person is. There are religious scholars as well as there are irreligious scholars, and there are also scholars standing just in between. Atheists have existed throughout all the eras of human existence; and while the nature of historical times are very different, there appears to be one notable and unchanging cause driving the atheistic agenda, and it is worrisome enough to make us want to discern the true concerns of the atheistic mind.
Science & Scriptures: The Conflicts and Concords
Over the years, there have been many debates and inquiries touching the veracity of the Biblical account of creation. While atheists continue to search for loopholes in the bid to discredit the authority and authenticity of the Bible, religious apologists likewise continue to find loopholes to discredit what they consider as outrageous claims of science. While it is undeniable that both scientific discoveries and scriptural instructions have helped man to better understand and manage his environment, it is equally strange that both science and Scriptures should mutually generate much controversy. In this piece, we will be looking at two critical questions: Should science shape our understanding of the Scriptures or should the Scriptures shape our understanding of science. Must science and religion agree at all times or should there always be room for conflicts and controversies?
Peleg: The Bible and Tectonics
“You are an animal,
but a very special one. Mostly bald, you’re an ape, descended from apes; your
features and actions are carved or winnowed by natural selection. But what a
special simian you are.”
The above is a quotation from an article titled ‘The human league: what separates us from other animals?’ written by Adam Rutherford and published on the Guardian.com. While the writer of the article admits that his comments could be ‘treacherous, and riven with contradictions,’ he still goes ahead to state that ‘We know we are animals, evolved via the same mechanisms as all life.’ In this article, we will be examining one question that has been a source of debate among scientists and philosophers for many centuries: is man just a higher animal? Despite the many attributes that man shares with other animals, we hope to discover if there is perhaps one thing that sets man apart from the rest of God’s created beings.