Why: For what purpose, reason, or cause; with what intention, justification, or motive

How: 1. In what manner or way; by what means

From http://www.thefreedictionary.com

‘How’ is a question about the mechanism or the process. ‘Why’ presupposes there is a meaning or intention to the process, i.e. asking that question, you’ve already assumed that there is a reason; you’re not just asking about how the process works.

Is the question absurd?

He was a bit of a jerk, but I did think he had a point.

My brother and I recently met through email for a theological battle of wits. He opened his attack with Pascal’s Wager which was easily refuted. Then he attacked with the standard ID question: “how do you think we got here? It couldn’t have been by accident.”

I countered that with, “why not? Given an infinite number of universes, coming and going—energy reconstituting in one form or another in each, one is bound to get it right eventually. You might call it the “law of diminishing improbabilities.” :>

He had no counter to that, so we switched to politics. It was all so much fun for me. He got pissed!

(Or something like that. Don’t take my word for that definition of anthropic principle. I need to get a shirt which says “citation needed.”)

Non-thanks to the theists and other superstitious folk for their enormous contribution to the dumbing of America

Poor Richard says, “As long as we’re at it, let’s believe that God holds the universe together with rubber bands and staples.”

… seriously when theists tell me that line on the internet (and they are not joking) I just want to shake them out of their stupidity.