The Universe is NOT Like a Clock!

A famous demonstration of applied egocentrism is the theory of creationism. A primary argument used to support creationism is that the complex nature of the universe naturally implies a creator. The standard example for illustrating the argument is a clock. Clocks are complex and could not exist without a clockmaker to create them. Clocks require creators. Since the universe is much more complex than a clock, it must obviously also require a creator. This argument, of course, falls to pieces with a modicum of critical evaluation. 


Early humans (and many other animals) used objects found in nature to make tools. A rock, for example, may have been used as a tool for killing game. Later, early humans tied a rock to a stick to create a more complex tool for killing game. As human understanding of technology advanced, so did the complexity of human tools. 

In the modern age, we experience a world brimming with complex, manmade items. However, in the vastness of the universe, manmade objects represent an incomprehensibly minuscule percentage of known objects. And, every single manmade item is ultimately constructed from natural materials that were present for billions of years prior to the arrival of the modern evolved human. Complex items created by humans have only been around for a few thousand years. The universe is NOTHING like a clock.  Complexity in no way implies the need for a creator. This creationist argument is an example of the availability bias. "I am surrounded by complex objects requiring a creator, therefore, ALL complex objects must require a creator." never mind that my little world is a drop of mist in the ocean that is the known universe.