Balance of nature: viruses are a vital component (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, April 17, 2018, 14:54 (2200 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID’s comment: Viruses are a necessary part of the ecosystem, and may be God's tool to drive evolution. Never ask why God would have made viruses; not evil.

dhw: Thank you for yet another illuminating article on the importance of micro-organisms to life. We tend to forget that we ourselves – like ants and antelopes, weaverbirds and whales – are the result of micro-organisms cooperating to form different communities. I don’t know why you have to bring theodicy into it, but the sceptics would argue that some viruses are good and some are bad, so if your God is in complete control, why did he make the bad ones? I suggest we focus on the science rather than the theology.

As with all views of the engineering of our reality, our view of the bad may not be really bad but have an unrecognized purpose. The true value of the human retina comes to mind against the criticisms that have failed.