Don’t Forget to Ask Why

What more important knowledge can we discover than the answer to the question, “Why are we here?” Today, R.C. Sproul urges us not to settle for science that avoids the discipline of teleology, the study of purpose.

When I was taking freshman biology in college, the teacher told us in the opening day of the lecture, she said: “We’re going to study biology, but don’t anybody ever ask me any questions of teleology. They’re out of order. They’re beyond the scope of the scientific enterprise.” And I wanted to jump up and say, “Then science has become a prostitute and not a means to pursue knowledge.” Because what more important knowledge can we discover than the question, Why we are here? What is the purpose of these things? It’s when a nation abandons teleology that its laws become confused to the extent that it’s a federal crime to destroy the eggs of fish while the embryos of human beings can be slaughtered. Because people aren’t asking why. Metaphysics is not simply for the ivory tower scholar or for the thinker. How we perceive metaphysics, how we perceive being, and how we perceive purpose touches the very heart of our lives.