jmh:
I don’t think your question of “for whom?” is really a question. Maybe for someone, maybe for no one. Just because we don’t immediately see the reason, doesn’t make the initial assumption factual.
Put another way, let’s say tomorrow science works out that because of x,y and z, their previous estimations of the age of these fossils were inaccurate- they are in fact no older that 5,700 years. Would you then ask for whom Hashem created fossils that appeared to be older than they actually were. Or would you say, scientists were mistaken again in interpreting the creation.
I don’t think you have to really go ad hominem here telling me to learn rishonim. I believe Seder Olam is one of the main sources for the calculation of 5,700 years. The sefer Sifsei Chaim explains the concept of shisa alfei shnin as 6,000 years very nicely-I believe he brings it according to the Ramban but I don’t remember. There is also the shita of the sefer HaTemunah.
Also, I don’t believe there is “one true answer” to the exclusion of other chachamim, rather, each is calculating according to his own parameters. For instance, in this example of shisa alfei shnin, we have the calculation of the sefer HaTemunah talking b’chllalus of the entire creation and you have the Ramban etc. speaking b’pratus of our universe. And both are describing different parts of an epicycle, that are equally true within chazal’s description of the epicycle called shisa alfin… I’m not saying that this is the solution to the different calculations, I’m just demonstrating that there is a solution and all the “revelations of chazal” are true.
Origin was published in 1859. In 1879 he wrote in a letter “I think that generally (& more and more so as I grow older) but not always, that an agnostic would be the most correct description of my state of mind.” This is brought on Wikipedia, with a link to the letter. There are other links there proving this as well.
Also, regarding your comment to veltz, I think its possible to disagree with you. For instance, we know the physical world reflects the spiritual. Its possible that spiritual events took place prior to the creation of the world, such that at the time of the physical creation, the world reflected a “mature” spiritual reality. To back up this idea, the Sifsei Chaim explains that before the cheit of Adam reality was entirely spiritual and the spirituality of the world was even more spiritual. So, the “history” that we see could be reflections of vestiges of those spiritual events that took place prior to the spontaneous materialization of the world at Adam’s cheit. In which case, your point would be as valid as saying that there is nothing to add anything to the running of the world anymore than say, a deer’s skeleton.