From the perspective of the average dog, the universe seems to have been created solely for the purpose of that particular dog's existence.  The natural laws and constants that govern the cosmos are just so that at this specific instant in space and time, an intelligent dog like myself is able to observe it.  I'm sure that every other species that has consciousness, if aware enough for self reflection and scientific investigation; believes the same about its own kind.  For example, dogs wouldn't be here unless the cosmos was perfectly suited to create humans; for they are the ones who bred dogs from their ancestor, the wolf.  It appears that the main purpose for having humans on earth is to breed dogs, for this led to the creation of me! 

     When we dogs look at life, we do so with a great appreciation for the wonders of variety and diversity that the evolutionary process has produced. (We make an exception when it comes to ticks, but that's for another blog entry.)   From the evolution of the first cell, to the complexity of the mind of a Darwin or a Gould, there seems to have been a constant movement towards increased order and purpose towards the production of complex, intelligent beings over the eons of time.  That's one way of looking at the evolution of self-reflective beings, but there are other perspectives that dogs ruminate on as they look out the window at the universe they've inherited. There are only 6 or 7 billion humans on earth.  They appear to be in charge of the planet, but bacteria as a class far outnumber them, and are capable of wiping out the human species unless a constant battle is fought against them.  The modal state of being of life on earth is bacterial.  When one looks at the diversity of life; fungal, bacterial, plant, animal, it's clear that any one species or indeed a number of species that now appear dominant, could disappear from the earth and life would continue on its way.  New niches would be found, and adaptation would produce new dominant beings.  They would proceed on their way with their own purposes, and they would never miss the dead writers of great books, or their canine best friends. Has anyone seen a dinosaur lately?

     The evolutionary process has produced a full house of living forms, an exquisite variety of creatures; excellent adaptations to their unique environments. To some it appears there was purpose in the distribution of intelligence and complexity, in the various forms of life.  Humans (and some dogs) think the reason for the extant universe was for the production of beings like themselves, who were created by an intelligent designer who is interested in only them.  To others it appears that humans, and precocious dogs, are merely one example of excellence, on an earth full of "endless forms, most beautiful and most wonderful". To these beings, the diversity of life forms that aided in our creation are worth honoring and preserving, even if it results in charges of tree hugging or "environmentalist"  It's worth noting that without the variety of the full house of nature's creations, competing and adapting through trial and error over millions of years; dogs like me wouldn't exist.  And neither would intelligent people like you.