by Vittorio P. Cuneo-Flood

A habit is a quality of the soul which disposes us to certain acts; a virtue is a good habit which dis— … woah woah woah, hold on a second … soul?! Aren’t humans, like, the product of millions of years of evolution or something? How can we sincerely claim that we have a soul, if man is a purely material being who has nothing immaterial about himself? And if the evolutionary theory is true, then can we sincerely say that humans have free will? These are the important questions which must be dealt with before an intelligent discussion can be made concerning habits.

Cast your mind back to GCSE Chemistry. Remember the experiment where a group 1 alkali metal is dropped into water. If the metal is higher up the periodic table (e.g. lithium) then the reaction with the water would be less violent than if it were further down (e.g. potassium). Now, if potassium, why don’t we call him Mr Poty; if Mr Poty is dropped into the water, the same thing would happen again and again, viz., there will be a lilac flame, heat will be emitted, and potassium hydroxide will be formed. This is measurable, repeatable, and observable. There will never be a yellow flame, a reduction of heat or a total lack of a reaction. If there were some sort of change, this would be a direct cause of some change in conditions, e.g. Mr Poty’s impurity.

Fast-forward millions of years from the time when there was no life, to the present day. It follows that the modern-day Mr Potter is a purely material being like our old friend Mr Poty. Evolution may have made him more complex, but his actions are still the result of chemical reactions. Therefore, it would be illogical to suggest that he has free will. Yes, he is more complicated; but he is still a material being, and he will act accordingly. The evolutionist’s reason why Mr Potter reacts differently to Mrs Potter is found in a difference between their DNA structure, their environment etc. and not because they themselves are choosing to act differently.

Perhaps you vaguely think that somehow, in some way, at some time, humans have evolved to have a spiritual or immaterial aspect to their being. No. It doesn’t matter how many gazillions of years you add, something material cannot beget something immaterial, or in other words:

If A plus B does not make C,
I do not see how there could be
(Despite millenia protract)
A change to this eternal fact.

This is the claim then: that if human existence is explained by a theory which states we are the product of millions of years of evolution, then this reality would disqualify the possibility that we have free will. It’s that simple. We either do decide what we do, or we don’t. And if we do, evolution is garbage.

I will now demonstrate that humans do possess an immaterial aspect to their nature, and therefore show that the evolutionary theory is incompatible with reality. Firstly, I’d like to respond to anyone who attacks this line of reasoning with something like: ‘But how can we be sure of reality’, by retorting: ‘If you have such a distrust of our ability to know things, then at least have the sincerity to avoid making grand claims about the reality of evolution.’ Are you following me? Good. I ask that you utilise your imagination one more time.

Imagine a weapon …

Was it a bomb? A rope perhaps? A toaster? A nunchuck? A Wii nunchuck!? An AK-47? A weapon of mass destruction … of some vague description? An AK-47? A Swiss Army knife? Your pet tiger!?

Now, what is that property, that characteristic, that feature, that ‘thing’ which all those weapons possess, which allow us to understand them as weapons? It’s certainly not anything material. They have different colours, different dimensions, different materials, different shapes … Rather, it is their shared immaterial property, viz., the idea that ‘a weapon is an instrument by which we may inflict harm on another’ – this is what we mean by weapon.

Do you see the ramifications? How on earth can a human, supposedly a materialistic creature, be able to understand an immaterial quality which a material thing possesses, such as ‘inflicting harm’? Ruminate over this. Cogitate. Ponder. Muse. Noodle around. Chew the cud. Hopefully you may begin to perceive how the claim that we are just matter is incompatible with the human ability to contemplate abstract thought, perceive causes, have memory, argue, and the other functions which separate us from animals.

So far, I have said nothing controversial, nor anything which contradicts with our daily experiences, nor anything which goes against common sense. It is not the deep thinker, but the mental gymnast who could have, bar any possible technical errors, problems with my argument. To recap: either we have free will, or we don’t. If we are the product of evolution, it is impossible that we do. Due to our ability to think abstractly, i.e to understand immaterial ideas, it follows that we do have an immaterial soul, and thus the seat of our free will.

Where were we? Ah yes. A habit is a quality of the soul which disposes us to certain acts; virtue is a habit which disposes us to act well, towards a good. How do you gain virtue? By doing virtuous acts of course. For when you act, there is both the exterior act, as well as the inward effect on your soul. For example, the more you tell the truth, the more your soul is disposed to tell the truth and the easier it becomes. This is why it is difficult to lie if we don’t possess the good habit (virtue) of truthfulness; but after repeated action, it becomes easy, for we now have lost the virtue, and possess the bad habit (vice) of dishonesty.

It will be difficult, then, at the beginning to act virtuously. But, through perseverance, your good acts will have altered your soul to the extent that you are disposed to do the right thing, however difficult it may be. Like an ice-skater who dances on the ring with seeming ease, performing difficult moves with grace and elegance; so too will you, when tragedy strikes, when you are treated cruelly, and when you are given burdensome duties; be able to endure the misfortunes, suffer the insults, and perform your obligations with a fantastic effectiveness, a great ease, and with a pleasure which no-one else could understand. Your soul, adorned with all the virtues, will be your most prized possession; of greater value than all the riches of the world, and the only possession which you will keep after death. For though the body be destroyed, the immaterial soul will live on.