“The variety of creatures is the multiform expression of the goodness of God. This has one fundamental consequence: as a result of belief in creation, creatures are to be seen in a positive light. At one place in the Book of Wisdom, it says, “ Thou hast loathing for none of the things which thou hast made” (Wis 11:24). All creatures have their own value, their own kind of rightness. Every creature, whether it be a star or a stone, a plant or a tree, an animal or a human being, reflects the perfection and the goodness of God in its own particular fashion. They all have their own value and likewise their own effect on the world.” WorldGodUniverseBibleGod Quotes Book:Chance or Purpose? Creation, Evolution, and a Rational Faith Source: Chance or Purpose? Creation, Evolution, and a Rational Faith
“What constitutes the various species? [...] Here we come up against the perennial question of human thought, which even evolutionism cannot evade: we can only ever consider single, concrete individuals—this dog, and that spruce tree, this grasshopper, and that man. “Humanity” is not something we can see, nor is “catness” or “spruce-ness”. Behind these considerations lies the perennial dispute about “universals”. Is there really such a thing as “humanity”, or are these just “nomina nuda”, as Umberto Eco says in the final sentence of his famous novel The Name of the Rose? Nominalism, which was widespread in the fifteenth century, says that we cannot actually know anything properly. Is there such a thing as “man” as a kind of creature, a species? I have the impression that many scientists do not really like this question because it is too philosophical. It leads us unavoidably into metaphysics. Is there such a thing as a “species”? Are there such things as “beings” at all?” PhilosophyScienceMetaphysicsMetaphysicalUniversals Book:Chance or Purpose? Creation, Evolution, and a Rational Faith Source: Chance or Purpose? Creation, Evolution, and a Rational Faith