Reply #27: Enjoy the mystery!

[man4allcats]

Random mutations are only one component of evolution. Selection, on the other hand (the "invisible hand" if you will - thank you, Robert Nozick) is anything but random. Quite simply, those variants that are not suited to successfully compete for limited resources are selected against. There is nothing random about that. And as for parallel universes, who knows? If they exist, it is a virtual certainty that there are differences in the evolution of the life forms that inhabit them, but not because of any preordained plan. Variants will arise naturally based on the mutation rate and the selective pressures acting on those populations. Because it is not possible to predict every selective pressure or to know with certainty how any species will adapt to such pressures, it is not possible to know all the answers or all the possibilities, and further, it doesn't matter! Science is not a static endeavor. It is not about knowing or having the definitive answer because many times, maybe most of the time, there isn't one. There are just most likely possibilities that work for a time until something changes. Then a new set of possibilities comes along offering strategies for survival based upon coping with the new conditions. And that's where the mystery is! Don't worry so much about being right. Look for the simplest explanations to explain hypotheses. For thermodynamic reasons, they are usually correct. Search openly, honestly and scientifically, and enjoy the adventure! That is what science and the intellectual endeavor in general are all about.