I do not think that the extremely complex speech center of the human brain, involving a network formed by thousands of nerve cells and fibers, was created by random mutations that happened to improve the chances of survival of individuals. I must believe that man built a speech center when he had something to say, and he developed the structure of this center to higher complexity as he had more and more to say. I cannot accept the notion that this capacity arose through random alterations, relying on the survival of the fittest. I believe that some principle must have guided the development toward the kind of speech center that was needed. He probably had in mind some guiding principle, driving life toward harmonious function, toward self-improvement.
Life is a wondrous phenomenon.
I can only hope that some day man will achieve a deeper insight into its nature and its guiding principles and will be able to express them in more exact terms. It is this mysterious quality of life that makes biology the most fascinating of sciences. To express the marvels of nature in the language of science is one of man's noblest endeavors. I see no reason to expect the completion of that task within the near future. This document maintained by Robert J. Huskey Last updated on June 24, 1996.