How many there are of something is not a measure of its significance
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How many there are of something is not a measure of its significance
Post modernists and atheists want to convince you that you're insignificant — don’t let them succeed!
“Astronomical observations continue to demonstrate,” Victor Stenger affirms, “that the earth is no more significant than a single grain of sand on a vast beach.” What astronomical observations may, in fact, have demonstrated is that the earth is no more numerous than a single grain of sand on a vast beach. Significance is, of course, otherwise.
David Berlinski, The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and its scientific pretensions [1]
Let's consider those folks who believe (and think that we must agree) that science has all the answers to life's questions. This position is called scientism. We are told by the scientism-ists that we are insignificant because we are a small part of the universe. But how many there are of something is not a measure of its significance; for example:
– A building may have many components, but the cornerstone is especially significant.
– There are an infinite amount of numbers, and yet the numbers pi and e are quite significant.
– There may be 100,000,000 sperm in an ejaculation, but the only one that was significant was the one that fertilized the egg and made you.
– There are billions of people on the planet, and yet many people have someone they call a significant other.
– Your significant other may make 1000 gestures in a day, and yet you may find only one of them significant. Someone else makes that same gesture (say, from a passing car) and you might consider it insignificant.
The notion of “cosmic significance” is a category mistake – significance implies choice which implies consciousness. 150,000 people may die every day, but the death of someone you know has more significance to you than do the others.
Thus, how many there are of something does not determine significance. There may be “billions and billions” of planets in the universe, but how many of them contain you? One. If you're “one in a million” isn't that a complement? How about “one in a hundred trillion”?
Jesus’ message changed the world because he was the first major religious figure to point out that each of us is significant (Matthew 6:26).
Post modernists, atheists and scientism-ists want to convince you that you're insignificant — don’t let them succeed!
[1] David Berlinski, The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and its scientific pretensions (links to Amazon)