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Reply to Holland … the Meaning of Life and Darwinism

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  • John Cottingham

Abstract

While finding no fault with Darwinism as a scientific theory, this paper argues that there are serious problems for the scientistic construal of Darwinism that interprets the universe as nothing but a purely random and contingent flow of events. Life in a godless impersonal universe is beset by contingency, alienation, despair, failure and fragility. Notwithstanding Alan Holland's claim that we can evade these problems though self-affirmation, I argue that human beings can achieve meaningful lives only by acknowledging our dependency and accepting the authority of values we did not create.

Suggested Citation

  • John Cottingham, 2011. "Reply to Holland … the Meaning of Life and Darwinism," Environmental Values, , vol. 20(3), pages 299-308, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envval:v:20:y:2011:i:3:p:299-308
    DOI: 10.3197/096327111X13077055165866
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