Episode 79. Continuing with our excursus, it's reasonable to ask the question what is the purpose of chance in the Creation? One answer is that it offers an element of divine hiddenness. This is a well known theological concept termed Deus Absconditus. This is Latin for, the God who hides. Some theologians suggest that it's important for God to be somewhat hidden from us. Because this offers a non-coercive environment for free will and the development of faith. Later in the course, we will further develop this theological notion of divine hiddenness, because it is important in science and religion. The last example of the scientific materialist is E.O. Wilson. He is a Harvard professor and the father of social biology, or evolutionary psychology. For Wilson, religion is nothing but a survival behavior of the human species. This religious inclination was chosen by natural selection. And the tribes with this religious behavior were the fittest. And they out competed those without it. Consequently, Wilson believes that the brain was hardwired for God. In this way, God exists only in the brain. Quote 27 summarizes E.O. Wilson's position. He writes, the ultimate question, do religion and moral reasoning also have a biological origin? Are they the products of evolution? So stated, the meaning of spiritual authority breaks into two competing possibilities, two competing hypotheses that now appear susceptible to empirical testing. Either number one, humanity is guided by moral principles that were formulated outside human existence. In other words, by divine will or natural law. Or else number two, humanity has evolved these principles on its own during its long genetic and cultural history. The, and I'm going to qualify this, the metaphysical, naturalistic hypothesis arising from scientific knowledge holds that the powerful emotions of religious experience are entirely neurobiological. That they evolved as part of the programmed activity of the brain, favoring survival of the tribe and the individual. By this point in the course, I'm sure you've identified a serious problem with E.O. Wilson's argument. He is trapped in a deep ditch dichotomy. Note the terminology in his passage, two competing possibilities, two competing hypotheses, and also his either/or type thinking. Yet at the same time, for religious believers like me, Wilson is offering an admission that everyone has a religious impulse. And as we saw previously, we have confirmation of this because 90% of people believe in teleology. E.O. Wilson's dichotomous approach to religion inspires me to offer another excursus. Which is entitled The 3rd Hypothesis, Evolutionary Psychology and Evolutionary Creation. From this perspective, why can't there be a middle ground position, in which God created, through evolution, that is a teleological evolution, a set of neurons that are sensitive to him and spiritual realities, like moral revelation in our conscience and intelligent design in nature? To explain this third approach, here are a couple analogies. First, God created through evolution, optic neurons, for seeing the physical world. Similarly, God created through evolution, what we could call God neurons, for seeing the spiritual world. From this evolutionary creationist perspective of evolutionary psychology, we can now offer an explanation for the origin of general revelation. Which we dealt with earlier in the course on page two of the handouts. Therefore, God's evolutionary hardwiring is behind natural revelation and intelligent design, and also moral revelation. Using a second analogy, we have the freedom to close our physical eyes and not see the physical world. We also have the freedom to close our spiritual eyes and not see the spiritual world. Here are a couple of questions you can ponder regarding intelligent design and evolutionary psychology from the perspective of evolutionary creation. Has your brain been built to see the beauty, complexity, and functionality in nature as reflections of the design of an intelligent designer? Or to be even more specific, have you been hardwired by God through evolution, so that you can find him? End of episode.