Proving common descent (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, November 16, 2012, 14:55 (4367 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: 1) He then left it to evolve randomly in whatever directions. This flexibility resulted in billions of different species, some of which died out, some of which have survived. Eventually we evolved from one particular line of these randomly evolved species.
> 2) He occasionally interfered in order to push evolution in the particular direction he wanted it to go, i.e. towards humanity.
> 3) He did not have any particular plan in mind, but occasionally interfered in order to experiment.
> 
> These scenarios all fit in with the course of evolution as we (think we) know it, but only (2) involves a particular goal, and even that entails failures in the initial programme. Your "guided the creation of life" is too vague for me. Do you stand by preprogramming for humans from the very beginning, or are you prepared to consider any of these three alternatives?-Certainly not (3). Perhaps (1) or (2), but I think evolution had initial guidelines to carry it along. The Cambrian might be a point where God stepped in. Again origin of life is a miracle, Cambrian may well be, and humans with consciousness are a miracle, as I view it.