The hotly debated notion of “intelligent design” contends that nature is so complex, a higher being (read: God) must have masterminded it. Last December, a Pennsylvania judge ruled that science classes couldn’t teach the idea of intelligent design in tandem with Darwin’s theory of evolution. Some say that’s as it should be: Religion is religion, and science is science.
But wherever you stand on the matter, especially at this time of year, it’s possible to imagine a sentient being’s touch on our world. Witnessing buds pushing through newly thawed earth, feeling the warmth of the spring sun and hearing the songs of freshly hatched birds, it’s hard not to at least wonder if there isn’t more to nature than can be explained by science.
Regardless, there is significant beauty in the fascinating mechanics of science itself. Consider the cunning way our pills slow HIV’s replication. Thinking about that makes it hard not to feel wonder, joy and gratitude for the fruits of scientific study. We can appreciate science while marveling at the ingenuity of nature, which makes it possible. And in doing so, we realize that perhaps both things we can explain—and things we can’t—contribute to our good health.
