Roots of the World
The evolutionists uproot the world, but not the flowers.
The Roots of the World is an article written by G.K. Chesterton about the consequences of abandoning a religious worldview in favor of a strictly materialist, evolutionary worldview. He uses an allegory of a child naively pulling up a plant in the garden which appears to be connected to everything else in the world. In this essay, the parents and guardians sleepily and thoughtlessly allow the child to tear at the very foundation of the world. They are not awake. They have allowed a new philosophy of skepticism to infect the child and have not safeguarded him at all.
When the child initially begins to challenge things, the damage is confined. But in the name of curiosity, he continues to tug and tug until the entire world comes crashing down. That’s how it is with skepticism and a positivist world view, according to Chesterton. In a world without metaphysical reality, nothing makes sense anymore.
This concept is also another way to express the idea of Chesterton’s fence. He wisely suggests that before you take an action, you understand all the reasons things are the way they are, and all the potential consequences of your actions. Few things have more consequence than removing the foundation of religion. As Chesterton points out, removing the foundation of faith leads to insanity and despair.
This essay, written around the same time as The Ball and the Cross, is a wakeup call. Chesterton urges us to see the deliberate attempt by those who refuse to acknowledge metaphysical reality to destroy the very foundation of our culture. If we remain sleepy and thoughtless, our children might be tempted to tear up the very roots of the world. I’ve attached the article below, and I recommend reading it to enhance your understanding of The Ball and the Cross.
