Philosopher Søren Kierkegaard said that we long to find some truth or idea that we’re willing to live and die for. We want to value something more than we value life itself. We respect martyrs who die for a cause that we think is right. How can this be explained by evolution?
Why don’t we merely seek shelter, safety, and physical nourishment? Instead, we live in pursuit of ideals that transcend the material world. We seek fulfillment, meaning, and a sense of purpose. Even if we are just machines who evolved by chance, this doesn’t provide a full account of the human experience. It is apparent that we are governed by a much higher law and much higher ideals than mere survival.