From Nigel Depledge
I was intrigued by Michael Marshall’s interview with Martin Nowak (19 March, p 34), but one statement puzzled me deeply. Nowak states that “a purely scientific interpretation of evolution does not generate an argument in favour of atheism… Evolution is not an argument against God, any more than gravity is.”
I have yet to see anyone claim the opposite. What evolutionary theory has done, remarkably effectively, is to prove there is no requirement to invoke any kind of deity to explain the wonderful diversity of life on Earth. Prior to 1859, the diversity and intricacy of life were often cited as “evidence” for the existence of God.
Nowak goes on to say that the Christian God is “that without which there would be no evolution”. This is a fine sound-bite, but meaningless: it could equally well refer to the entire universe, or to only the chemical and biochemical processes that govern genetic mutation.
Spennymore, County Durham, UK
