[Darwin and SUVs? by Christine Dao] What does Charles Darwin have to do with the auto industry? For one Fortune writer, Darwin defines it.
"At its best, the auto industry is Darwinistic, with the new and improved driving out the old and outmoded, and the change from SUVs to crossovers is a prime example of how it evolves," Alex Taylor III wrote in August.1
While the news piece described relevant information on a significant market trend, there is nothing Darwinistic about it. Anyone who can read a headline or listen to news radio understands that recent economic events have changed the consumer spending landscape, and that includes backing down on indulgences like epically massive passenger vehicles. Thus, manufacturers have to innovate and make changes if they want to stay competitive.
But consumers and manufacturers adapting to the market environment doesn't involve a process of nature, which is what Darwin promoted in the biological world. It takes information to make predictions and design products that will hopefully sell and turn a profit. This requires some major intelligence, not the purposeless, mindless processes Darwin described.
This Fortune article is simply one of many instances that show how successfully this concept based on faith and not scientific data has permeated culture. If, or more appropriately when, SUVs are replaced completely by crossover vehicles, it will be because of the conscious, purposeful decisions made by consumers and the engineers who cater to those decisions.
Likewise, any changes and adaptations observed in nature are likely due to the genius of one Engineer, who put in place the ability for creation to adapt and survive as best as it can in a fallen and sinful world. http://www.icr.org/article/5667/
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