Reply #7: It is a mistake to assign the concept of "purpose" to an ecology. [View All]

[phantom power]

We see things get recycled in an ecology, simply because over time, organisms will tend to evolve to take advantage of any available resource. It's not by design, it's simply what tends to happen.

Oil is not really part of our ecology, although it once was. It's not around because it fulfills a "purpose" It's simply what happens to organic matter that gets trapped underground.

If anything is 'using' it, perhaps there are deep bacteria that metabolize it.