One line of thought that informed Russell’s position is relevant to our exploration here. “So far as scientific evidence goes,” Russell noted, “the universe has crawled by slow stages to a somewhat pitiful result on this earth and is going to crawl by still more pitiful stages to a condition of universal death.” With such a bleak outlook, Russell concluded, “if this is to be taken as evidence of purpose, I can only say that the purpose is one that does not appeal to me. I see no reason, therefore, to believe in any sort of God.”2 The theological thread will be stitched into later chapters.
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