DILEMMAS (Evolution)

by dhw, Thursday, October 30, 2014, 15:21 (3675 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: In its theistic form, the one I have proposed is: “instead of preprogramming every innovation you can think of, God created a mechanism within the cell (located in the genome) that is capable not only of adapting [...] but also of creating most [...] of the variations we see in the evolutionary bush; but he dabbled in order to create the basic structures (such as heart, kidneys. etc etc.) and maybe even some variations, like the human brain.” How does this contradict what you have said above?
-DAVID: It doesn't. The basic patterns of organs were probably in the program that created the Cambrian, either from the beginning of life or inserted at that time.-For the moment, I'd like to dispense altogether with your “program” inserted at the beginning of life, which has caused us nothing but trouble because of the higgledy-piggledy bush. We need to consider the implications of the following exchanges:-dhw: So did the inventive mechanism work out how to stretch the giraffe's neck, or are you saying God planned the giraffe's neck? I am saying the former.
DAVID: The neck follows the pattern and is an adaptation the IM could have handled it seems to me.-dhw: In the hypothesis I have proposed, God provided the information that enables organisms to invent. That does not mean he dictates WHAT they are going to invent (e.g. the giraffe's long neck).
DAVID: Fair enough.-This means that God does not have total control over evolution. The IM does its own inventing within the parameters of what you have called the patterns (which he set). Hence the higgledy-piggledy bush of evolution. In the context of Darwin's theory, species were not formed by random mutations, but by deliberate adaptations / innovations invented by the mechanism God devised for that very purpose. The major structures (patterns) must work straight away (out goes gradualism), but the variations may take place over an indefinite period, as the environment changes and the IM does its work. There are no transitions (hence the gaps in the fossil record), since variations must also work straight away if they are to survive. Common descent still stands; natural selection still stands (because only successful adaptations/innovations will survive); competition still stands as an element of natural selection; assuming God did not deliberately organize every single change in the environment, chance still plays a role (a) through these changes, and (b) through the autonomy of the IM (free to invent within the parameters established by the patterns), over which God has deliberately given up control, except that he dabbles when he wants to (e.g. perhaps in order to direct specific organisms towards making the human brain). 
 
DAVID: Remember, I'm in the process of mulling about all this. As long as we stick with variations on the main theme of patterns, I agree with yhou that an IM is very possible.-I am also mulling. What is crucial at this stage of our mulling is that you accept the possibility of an inventive mechanism within the cell/cell community (the “brain” in the genome) which can produce variations that have not been preprogrammed.