"Yes, perhaps it is rather implausible to say that a living organism, though it resembles a carefully designed structure in every respect, is actually a random aggregate of chemicals. It stands proved, though, by the fossil evidence."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that fossils, being the remains of prehistoric life-forms, give us a broad history of life on Earth, and that history vindicates our thesis."

"But then, why might not fossils themselves, though they resemble the remains of life-forms in every respect, actually be random mineral formations?"

"Absurd. Look at Sue, or the Archaeopteryx fossils: what else could they be but calcified skeletons?"

"Look at a spider weaving a web: what else could it be but the product of reason?"

Note: Special thanks to the University of Florida for providing the cover image.