Screw Your Birth: Explain Your Life

"So how perfect is the universe, anyway?

There's an argument I've been seeing a lot lately in support of religious belief. It's sort of a cosmic version of the argument from design (the idea that biological life is too complex and too perfectly balanced to have just come into being on its own). Now, when it comes to the development of biological life, anyone who understands the theory of evolution knows that the argument from design is a non-starter. But the cosmic version of it has been making the rounds, even among people who completely accept evolution...

...I've pointed out how human- centric this argument is; how it assumes that, because we are here, therefore we were required to be here. I've pointed out that the fact that you, personally, against astronomical odds, were born, doesn’t mean that you were required to be born, or that we need to come up with an entire philosphy or theology to explain your birth..."

-- Greta Christina, speaking about the habit of believers to think we're all "put here for a purpose" - or some other silly crap - on (you guessed it:) Greta Christina's Blog.