The ID Arts Blog

I’m told that American poet Robert Frost published a poem called “Accidentally on Purpose” at the end of his life (1962)

Accidentally on Purpose

Robert Frost Till Darwin came to earth upon a year

To show the evolution how to steer,

They mean to tell us, though, the omnibus

Had no real purpose till it got to us.

Never believe it.

At the very worst It must have had the purpose from the first

To produce purpose as the fitter bred:

We were just purpose coming to a head.

 A friend alerted me to this wonderful poem on the brain by Pier Giorgio Di Cicco (1949-) “Brain Litany: Or, Overlooking the Existential Factor”, poet laureate of Toronto and Augustinian priest:

*” … and when we think of coconuts and pigs, there are no coconuts or pigs in the brain.” — Gregory Bateson

[ ... ]

Where are the pigs Where are the coconuts

The brain is a compendium of holographic mechanisms

Help me find the coconuts Help me find the pigs

The brain is a neuro-physiological metaphor

The brain is an illusionist’s exercise in Euclidean geometry

The brain is a vibrational amplifier for ambient field quanta

Find me the goddamned coconuts the pigs

The brain is a cybernetic miracle with a three-ring triune brain circus at its centre [ ... ]

Read the rest here. It is simply the best sendup I have ever heard of materialist neuroscience.

So rarely does a poet actually take on the nonsense rigorously, as opposed to simply sneaking away into some romantic or nihilist haze.  - Denyse O’Leary

PS: If you find the pigs, lose them again, will you, and keep the coconuts for your trouble. - d.

Wonders

by Roger W. Hancock

Looking, viewing, wondering,
Of all the stars, all the universes;
Man to find meaning,
Plots the constellations.

Looking, searching, wondering,
All the suns, and planets be,
Man still looking to the stars,
Surmise our origins.

Looking, studying, wondering,
All on earth and in the sky,
Man’s belief in a godless faith,
Chose unproven thought.

(c) 10-16-06, Roger W Hancock
www.PoetPatriot.com

Earth

by Roger W. Hancock

Earth is set precise,
Among the heavenly stars;
Happenstance? They say.

(c) 10-16-06, Roger W Hancock
www.PoetPatriot.com

Big Bang

by Roger W. Hancock

Chaos of a blast?
Universe of order set,
Wonders of the stars.

(c) 10-16-06, Roger W Hancock
http://www.PoetPatriot.com

(HAIKU POEM: A form of poetry forming three lines of the first being 5 syllables, the second 7 and then 5 for the third. The Haiku usually contains the elements of the spiritual or the human condition within nature. I often will deviate from the purity of the definition.)

The Tree

The calm quiet strength of a tree
Anchored deep in the earth
Reaching high in the sky
The calm quiet strength of a tree

The calm quiet strength of a tree
Full of life from its roots
To the tiniest branch
The calm quiet strength of a tree

And oh, how it comforts me
How it teaches me
Without a sound
Then I realize at once
That this tree and I are one
In eternity

The calm quiet strength of a tree
From the weight of its trunk
To its delicate leaves
The calm quiet strength of a tree

The calm quiet strength of a tree
Showing anyone near
All the secrets of time
The calm quiet strength of a tree

Copyright 1994 Tom Splitt

The Tree (listen to sample mp3 file)

To purchase the entire audio track visit Tom Splitt’s website.

…[T]he universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference…” —Richard Dawkins

“It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane (or wicked, but I’d rather not consider that)” –Richard Dawkins

**********************

Recently (January 2006) in the Belfast Telegraph, zoology Prof. Richard Dawkins was interviewed. The feature article (”Is Religion the Root of All Evil”) begins with this provocative introduction:

“Known as ‘Darwin’s Rottweiler’, professor Richard Dawkins relishes controversy. In his new TV series he explains how religion is a form of abuse—and why God is man’s most destructive invention.”

(more…)

“Darwinocracy’s All Muscle”
(Never Mind Its Sacred Vow!)

by Tom Graffagnino

The Imams of Evolution
Have Designs on every school…
Darwinocracy’s all muscle!
Scientism’s come to rule!

(more…)

Recently, a team of geo-microbiologists at Penn State University discovered that the origin of life on Earth may not have dropped out of the blue via some sort of extra-terrestrial panspermian planting, or accidentally (magically?) popped into existence when lifeless primordial goo was zapped by a purposeless and random prehistoric lightning strike.

(more…)

By Robert Voss

BUILT UP FROM A SKULLCAP AND ORANGUTAN’S JAW,
IN MANY OLD TEXTBOOKS, PILTDOWN MAN WE ALL SAW,
TEETH FILED TO LOOK HUMAN, AND STAINED TO LOOK OLD,
HIS LESSON FOR US: DON’T BELIEVE ALL YOU’RE TOLD.

TEN YEARS LATER, NEBRASKA MAN WE SALUTED.
FROM A SINGLE PIG’S TOOTH HE WAS RECONSTITUTED.

AND WHO CAN FORGET JAVA MAN’S FEARFUL LOOK?
A BIG GIBBON, FINAGLED FOR YOUR SCIENCE BOOK.

DEPICTIONS OF “NELLY” AND “LUCY” STILL SCARE US.
SADLY, BOTH ARE PREDOMINANTLY PLASTER OF PARIS.
THEIR DRAWINGS AND SCULPTURES BOTH BIASED CREATION,
MAN-LIKE FEATURES ENSUE FROM RICH IMAGINATION.

THE OPPOSITE’S TRUE FOR THE MAN FROM NEANDER;
APISH LOOKS AS THE ARTIST’S PEN TENDS TO MEANDER,
DESIGNED TO IMPRINT IN THE POPULAR MIND,
A CREATURE, NOT MAN, BUT A WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND.

NOT ONLY APE-MEN WERE DOCTORED, LORD KNOWS.
“PILT DOWN CHICKEN” AND MINIATURE HORSIES WITH TOES.
STILL IN SOME TEXTBOOKS, AS FAR AS THAT GOES,
ARE HAEKEL’S FAKED DRAWINGS OF CRITTER EMBRYOS.

FISH EXTINCT FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS, SO THEY SAID,
WASHED UP BY TSUNAMI, BUT UH-OH, FRESH DEAD.
AND COELACANTH, MOST RESILIANT FISH YET,
KEEPS SHOWING UP LIVE IN THE FISHERMAN’S NET.

SOME FRAUDS, SOME SINCERE, BUT ON EVERY OCCASION,
STRONG DEVOTION TO THEORY TRUMPS GOOD OBSERVATION.