What do you think is the most important thing that we’ve learned by studying nature? Is it that matter is composed of identical, indivisible subunits called atoms? Is it Plate Tectonics? Or maybe the insignificance of earth in the incomprehensibly vast cosmos?
In my book it is Evolution. The fact that every living thing on this planet evolved from microbial life is far and away the most influential concept that we’ve learned so far. This fact is so surprising that a majority of us still can not accept it. You don’t hear many people doubting the correctness of atomic theory, plate tectonics or the vastness of the cosmos, but when it comes to the equally assured facts of Evolution everyday Joe and Jane have doubts. In my humble opinion the reason is simple: Time. We humans do not experience much of it. Our lives are very brief when measured against evolutionary time scales. That fact, in combination with Joe’s and Jane’s self-centeredness, makes it seem impossible to them that something as perfect as themselves could have sprung up from lowly microbes. Joe and Jane’s lives are mere snapshots during which nature appears to be static. Not much evolution happens during the span of a human life. Joe and Jane lack the imagination to see outside the boundaries of their everyday existence. Hence they are skeptical about any evidence that seems to support Evolution.
However, Evolution is a fact and we can move on to the philosophically more intriguing issue that can be phrased this way: There is good evidence suggesting that simple microbial life existed on earth as early as 3 billion years ago. It seems that life wasted no time and somehow came into existence as soon as the earth was cool enough to support it. So the question is this: Does the structure of matter somehow predispose it to create life if conditions are even remotely favorable? Life is a very complex process characterized outwardly by the features of replication and energy conversion. How is it possible that a couple of chemical elements in the presence of abundant solar and geothermal energy suddenly come up with an arrangement that we call "alive", and that then leads to us?
