We cannot cope with randomness
We, as a species, are unable to deal with randomness. This manifests itself, among other things, in our clinging to a higher power or will, a design or a master plan in the world. We feel that it would somehow demean us if we conceded that, for example, we or humans in general exist as a result of highly unlikely random events rather than as a result of some necessity. As an aside, let us, for the moment, forget about the question whether the Universe is deterministic, which would mean that there is a master plan. Even if it is, with our current knowledge and tools, we cannot determine it sufficiently to predict, for example, individual actions or thoughts. Our thinking is teleological: that is, we seek a purpose in everything, even though every fact appears to point to its precise lack. Is, for example, the fact that most organisms around us devote most of their time and energy to reproduction a result of a sentence in Genesis? Cannot one argue that in any population where some living...
