Skip to comments.Even Scientists Unwittingly See Purpose in
Nature Posted on 11/02/2012 8:00:23 PM PDT by Olog-hai As
Hurricane Sandy batters the East Coast, some might be looking
for a purpose or greater meaning behind Mother Natures wrath.
But perhaps no platitude irks scientists more than Everything
happens for a reason. A team of psychology researchers at Boston
University (BU) asked chemists, geologists and physicists from
major universities such as Harvard, MIT and Yale University to
evaluate explanations for different natural phenomena. The
statements included purpose-based (or teleological) explanations
such as Trees produce oxygen so that animals can breathe, or The
Earth has an ozone layer in order to protect it from UV light.
The team says their results hint at an underlying belief in
meaning behind natural phenomena that persists from early
development. In light of Hurricane Sandy, the study seems to
build on previous research suggesting that the desire to turn to
God for an explanation for disast