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One would therefore expect it to eat its ralize the weaker ones, and consume all
young as food without a moment’s hesi- the food resources for themselves. Yet
tation, rather than protecting them. events do not actually transpire as evolu-
Among other species, some mothers tionists imagine.
have to leave the community in which In his book, the well-known evolu-
they live until their young are weaned, tionist Peter Kropotkin cites several
and thus expose themselves to conside- examples of this: In the event of a food
rable risks. Some animal species care for shortage, ants begin using the supplies
their young for days, for months or even they have stored. Birds migrate en masse
years after they are born or hatched. in search of food, and when too many
They provide them with food, shelter beavers start living in one pond, the yo-
and warmth and protection from preda- unger ones head north and the older ones
tors. Many birds feed their young betwe- south. 12
en four and 20 times an hour throughout As you can see, there is no ruthless
the day. fight to the death for food or shelter
Among mammals, mothers face dif- among these living things. On the con-
ferent problems. They have to eat better trary, even under the most difficult con-
while suckling their young and must the- ditions, excellent harmony and solidarity
refore hunt for more food. Yet as the yo- are shown. It is as if these creatures
ung gain weight, the mother constantly work to ameliorate existing conditions.
loses it. However, one very important point
What one would expect an animal needs to be borne in mind: These living
devoid of consciousness to do is to aban- things possess no rational mind with
don its young after birth, because ani- which to make decisions. There is there-
mals cannot even conceive of what these fore only one possible explanation for
tiny creatures need. Yet they actually as- the way in which determine a particular
sume all the responsibility for their offs- objective and work together to attain it,
pring. even deciding on the soundest course for
Living things are altruistic not only all members of the community—na-
when it comes to protecting their young mely, God’s creation.
from danger. They have also been obser- Confronted by these facts throughout
ved to behave most considerately and nature, evolutionists’ claim to the effect
helpfully towards others of their kind in that “Nature is a battleground, and the
the community they live in. One examp- selfish and those who protect their own
le can be seen when nearby food sources interests emerge victorious” is comple-
decline. In that event, one might expect tely invalidated.
stronger animals to rise to the top, neut- In the face of these features of living

THE EVOLUTION IMPASSE I