Bertrand Russell on The argument from design
Russell argued that the design argument was undermined by Darwin and that the universe shows no evidence of benevolent purpose.
Russell addressed the design argument in Why I Am Not a Christian, noting that Darwin's theory of evolution had removed its strongest support. The appearance of design in living things — which once seemed to require a designer — is now explained by natural selection. The argument's intuitive appeal has not survived its scientific refutation.
Russell also challenged the assumption that the universe shows signs of benevolent design. He pointed to the vast stretches of empty space, the prevalence of suffering, and the eventual heat death of the universe as evidence against purposeful creation. If the universe has a designer, Russell remarked, that designer does not seem particularly concerned with human welfare.
He treated the design argument as a product of human narcissism: the tendency to see ourselves as the purpose of creation, when the evidence suggests we are an accidental byproduct of natural processes on an undistinguished planet.
“Do you think that, if you were granted omnipotence and omniscience and millions of years in which to perfect your world, you could produce nothing better than the Ku Klux Klan or the Fascists?”