Astronomical Odds verses Building Blocks Approach

Let's say we are in London at the time of Shakespeare. I tell you that in 450 years there will be a large nation across the ocean with a democratic government, advanced technology, and all manner of things which make the USA the USA. You laugh at me, saying that there is nothing across the ocean which can become this place. You tell me that there are astronomical odds against this democratic and technologically advanced place coming into existance. The odds of this place existing are 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
or whatever you come up with. This is the astronomical odds theory.

Now I tell you that a group of people will travel from Britain across the ocean to North America. There is nothing extraordinary about this, people have been traveling the oceans for decades now. Then I tell you that more people will travel over there. Nothing outstanding. These people will form cities. Very likely. These people will be self governing. These people will resist British influence. There will be a war between Britain and the colonists. The colonists will win. The colonists will create their own democratice government. Over time, the population grows. People invent new products. Infrastructures are created to handle these products. The population continues to grow. Interactions between these people and the rest of the world improves technology. Before you know it, you have the nation which I described to you. This is the building blocks approach.

The building blocks approach shows us that things happen through a series of events, each of which is not extraordinary in and of itself, and that these "blocks" come together to form a web which is complex. These blocks can come together to form any possibility of things, but the important part is that there is nothing unbelievable about any of these "blocks" happening.

From a 1550 point of view, the odds are incredibly against this democratic, technologically advanced civilization existing. The building blocks approach shows us that it is entirely possible.

Note that this is an example of the building blocks approach to viewing complex things, not a discussion about the history of the United States.

Shakespeare was in the 16th century right?

The New World was discovered in the late 1400s... even though the Vikings knew about it since the 900s...


Just though I'd correct your facts there.

Exact timing isn't the point.

Knowledge of the Americas was pretty common knowledge in Shakespeare’s time. If I remember correctly his play twelfth night partially takes place in the Americas.

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Truthfully there is nothing astronomical in anything you describe happening.





What exactly is your point?

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That sort of is the point. Why is everyone at this site so stupid? Can you not figure out the message of something right in front of you?

We're not here to talk about history. We are here to talk about points of view on things happening.

Well, I understood it, I think everyone else did too, they're just giving you a hard time .

Yeah, TEists are mislead by evil, and thus they have no morals and turn on each other quite easily. You'll never see any YECists attacking dad.