You can order Greg Johnson’s Loving Our Own here
You can order Greg Johnson’s Loving Our Own here
1,382 words
A bandit hides a sack of gold by burying it in an orchard. Centuries pass. A farmer planting a tree discovers the bandit’s gold. Was this meant to happen? It seems not. The bandit’s purpose was to hide the gold. The farmer’s purpose was to plant a tree. When their purposes crossed, the gold was discovered. But it was neither man’s intention. It just turned out that way. We call such an event an “accident.”
If you find this argument unconvincing, the proper response is to offer evidence that the discovery was no accident. At this point, however, many people will dismiss the requirement to supply empirical evidence. Instead, they will declare a general metaphysical axiom: “There are no accidents.” (more…)