Banana argument

The banana argument is a variation on the argument from design, saying that some things are the way they are because they were designed especially for our pleasure and comfort.

Note that the banana:

1. Is shaped for human hand
2. Has non-slip surface
3. Has outward indicators of inward content:

   Green-too early,

   Yellow-just right,

   Black-too late.

4. Has a tab for removal of wrapper
5. Is perforated on wrapper
6. Bio-degradable wrapper
7. Is shaped for human mouth
8. Has a point at top for ease of entry
9. Is pleasing to taste buds
10. Is curved towards the face to make eating process easy

Counter-Arguments

1. The bananas that we eat today were specifically bred by humans to be a size that we like. Natural bananas are much smaller. This is a bit like Douglas Adams' analogy of a puddle thinking that the hole it's in was perfectly designed to contain the puddle.
2. The fact that a banana fits perfectly in our hand says a lot more about the evolution of hands than it does about bananas. The human hand is very versatile, able to change shape enough to hold a tiny pebble or a large basketball. Lots of the things we don't eat also fit in our hands.
3. We eat all kinds of food. The coconut is also enjoyed by humans as food yet, apart from having a non-slip surface (like almost all objects) and being pleasant to eat (like most food), it holds none of the other properties of the banana. A cow, which some might say is far more delicious than a banana, is fairly difficult to hold in the hand when in its natural form. Like many other foods, cows also require some very particular preparation before eating otherwise some nasty diseases can result. The diseases come from bacteria that theists would also say were created by God.
4. Speaking of bacteria, the number of objects in the universe that are inedible and even dangerous to humans far outweighs the number of objects that are tasty.
5. Far from being proof that the entire world is custom made for our pleasure, this seems to be a case of cherry-picking certain features to find one good example.

History

• The banana argument was presented by Ray Comfort as "the atheist's worst nightmare" the Way of the Master episode entitled "The Beauty of a Broken Spirit-Atheism".

• Ray Comfort conceded that this is a bad argument in episode #103 of the Hellbound Alleee show.

• The argument was not original to Ray Comfort; somebody please find more information for this article.

External Links

• Video clip of Ray Comfort presenting the banana argument
• Hellbound Alleee announces that Comfort conceded the banana argument
• The banana argument in written form, presented completely without intentional irony