Evolution v Creationism: guided evolution? dhw? (Evolution)

by David Turell @, Sunday, April 05, 2015, 16:06 (3280 days ago) @ dhw


> dhw: Your Nature's Wonders posts have attracted literally thousands of hits, and they are a constant source of delight and education. Our own discussions tend to go round in the same circles, but there is always the possibility of a breakthrough, or of new and interesting angles being offered by contributors like BBella and Tony. I'm therefore also happy to continue at least for the time being. -As long as we can entertain, have others participate, and explore new concepts as they appear I'm delighted to continue to express my opinions and offer new scientific discoveries.-> 
> DAVID: Well, evolution ended up, seemingly miraculously, with completely mindful humans.
> 
> dhw: That is my point: evolution may have begun with relatively less mind (as opposed to mindlessness) and proceeded to full consciousness and self-consciousness. In other words, the first living cells were NOT mindless.-No disagreement, the earliest cells acted as sentient. We will still disagree as to whether they were given mechanisms that acted as giving an appearance of sentience, or whether they wondrously somehow survived from their beginning while developing the necessary ability to understand their surroundings. For the latter scenario I feel that has to be magical.
 
> dhw: I know information is the current “in” word, and I dislike it.
> DAVID: I know you dislike it, but what do codes give us but information? How would you define how DNA works?
> 
> dhw: I dislike this use of the word because it is confusing. Cells run on information (the codes) which enables them to absorb information (from the outside world) which enables them to provide new information (adaptation/innovation) so that they can adjust to any changes in the information they absorb from the outside world. By bracketing everything under “information”, you constantly gloss over the different types of information and the difference between what is processed and the mechanism that does the processing.-I don't mean to gloss over the various types of information that are involved, as you have listed them. They all exist and all are of great importance. The most central information is in the genome, and not just in DNA but the entire complex that handles DNA and RNA, the histones, telomeres, translatomes, etc, etc. -> dhw" I would prefer to say that cells/cell communities, just like humans, have the ability to absorb information (OK here for me) from the outside world through their equivalent of our five senses, to process it through the equivalent of our brains, and if possible to alter their structure in response to any changes in the environment.-Can you describe the 'cell equivalent' of our brain, and recognize the cells must use onboard 'information' to make the appropriate choices as you seem to have admitted?


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