Titmouse, Woodpecker, Intelligent Design, "Black Smokers", Dr. Ian Malcolm, and God (Part 2)
Yup, we folks here on Cape Cod got hit by a sizable snow storm.
Not a huge deal... Cape Codders have a way of getting by.
Let's wrap up that discussion about God. The first of three assertions was that the universe was created 13.7 billion years ago via the "Big Bang".
The next assertion has to do with the nature of what fired off that bang 13.7 billion years ago. Some believe it was a living god, (Intelligent Design) while others believe it was purely a matter of mechanics. But more importantly, for all but the most ardent atheists, the idea that there might have been a living omnipotent Being involved is at least remotely possible.
The final assertion takes us back to Jurassic Park's Dr. Ian Malcolm - ("No, I'm simply saying that life, uh... finds a way.") Today, biologists, marine biologists, and microbiologists are beginning to echo the words of Ian... In 1977, we found entire marine ecosystems around "black smokers". (Black smokers are deep, ocean-based hydrothermal vents spewing acidic water, minerals and gasses at 700F or more.) Those ecosystems exist entirely by feeding on inorganic matter, and with absolutely no solar support. The idea, prior to 1977, that such a system (and creatures) could exist was absurd. Still... Life, (weirder, wackier, and hopelessly improbable) finds a way.
Conclusion? 13.7 billion years ago, something mind-blowing happened to create the universe. And there is a remote chance that "The Big Guy" had a hand in the event. Now, what science is beginning to tell us is that life thrives in the "remote chance", if not in the "flat out impossible". Perhaps even divine Life...
Talk about your perpetual machine.
Wondering by the feeders,
CapeCodAlan