Friday, August 1, 2008

Chance - you mean, it isn't really a "thing"?

I've just got hold of Scott Hahn and Benjamin Wiker's Answering the New Atheism (Emmaus Road, 2008), which is a lot of fun. I will have more to say later when I have read more, but this for now: On the "new atheists' insistence that it can all happen by chance, they reply
"But who is this god Chance? How can it be such a powerful cause, so powerful that it can replace the need for a living, acting, intelligent Creator God? As Aristotle long ago pointed out to the materialist of his day - who likewise worshiped at te altar of Chance - chance isn't really a cause because it isn't really a thing. There is the chance of something happening, but the "of" is all important because that tells you what really exists and defines what you can possibly mean by chance. Yet even here, chance isn't a thing. " (p. 21)
Lottery losers, listen. Put the money back in your pocket.

Buy. Groceries. Pay. Rent. Forget. Chance.