Loren Eiseley - Making a Difference – Quote – Intelligent Design

The following quote by author Loren Eiseley I ran on this blog on Wednesday June 6, 2012, I ran into it again and read it early this morning.

And as I finished reading it, I thought of the dogmatic idea of Intelligent Design about how IT all supposedly follows some plan.

That for Loren Eiseley to save a few starfish was against that magnificent master plan? Shame on you Loren. How dare you save life on a micro level when on a macro cosmic Wharton Spreadsheet level, it has already been written off as part of a prescribed “divine” plan.

Or people of faith will say that God gave man dominion over the creatures of the earth and Loren and his friend are merely exercising free will under the animal management clause of that so-called Intelligent Design Contract?

Loren Eiseley - Making a Difference - Quote

“While wandering a deserted beach at dawn, stagnant in my work, I saw a man in the distance bending and throwing as he walked the endless stretch toward me. As he came near, I could see that he was throwing starfish, abandoned on the sand by the tide, back into the sea. When he was close enough I asked him why he was working so hard at this strange task. He said that the sun would dry the starfish and they would die. I said to him that I thought he was foolish. there were thousands of starfish on miles and miles of beach. One man alone could never make a difference. He smiled as he picked up the next starfish. Hurling it far into the sea he said, "It makes a difference for this one." I abandoned my writing and spent the morning throwing starfish.”

― Loren Eiseley