In the Philosophy and Theology paper I explain in part why the common
argument that the splendor of creation supports the existence of a moral creator
is bogus in part because beauty is too arbitrary an opinion, it being in the
eye of the beholder, rather than a firm reality one can base sound
conclusions on. And beauty such as it is can stem from amorality or worse. I and
many others deem the Supermarine Spitfire fighter of the last world war to be
the most elegant and beautiful airplane ever designed and manufactured (I
particularly go for the Mk XIV with the five bladed prop). It was a machine gun
with wings. Union witnesses to the beginning of Pickett’s Charge later said
it was the most magnificent thing they ever saw. That war can generate
beauty and awe does not morally justify war any more than what we humans think
is beautiful about the universe and earth ethically validates the means by
which it operates. The big cats are drop dead gorgeous to human eyes, but they
make their living by mugging herbivores including sleek antelope and deer
forced to live every moment of their lives in alert fear of becoming a
killer’s meal. That’s not a moral arrangement despite all the beauty involved.