James Le Fanu: Why Us? (The limitations of science)

by David Turell , Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 16:21 (5601 days ago) @ dhw

John: David has reminded us many times of how extraordinarily difficult it is for life to get started. His view is that it is, in principle, impossible and that, accordingly, science will NEVER be able to describe with certainty how it came about. - > I would add that even if eventually scientists do unravel the code that gave rise to life and evolution, they still won't be able to say whether it came about by chance or by design. - Great point!
 
> Why, then, should anyone assume that if it does eventually crack the code of life, this will somehow favour the theory that life came about by chance?if life could be recreated in the lab and was found elsewhere in the universe, along with evidence of evolution (I see that as vital because of the complexity of the mechanism that made it possible), I too would be far more inclined to believe the atheist theory of chance. - > I expect David would also change his line of thinking, as he has always expressed his readiness to respond to new discoveries. - I would like to answer for myself on these points. Matt has brought up Popper and falsification of scientific theory as a mode of confirmation. If a concept cannot be falsified in any manner, this raises a philosophic problem. - Let's say that a lab produces life. Since we were not present at the time life began, we will not know if the lab's method was the original method, or different, but possibly parallel. To be the same method, it would have to develop to the point that it is exactly comparable to the life we see in the Archaeia (the oldest form of bacteria) and then as dhw cleverly points out, evolution must occur similar to what we know about our evolution. It still won't be exactly the same, as the environment from the past will be difficult to mimic, but if close enough to parallel our evolution, I would change my thinking, BUT only if the combinations of molecules required and used by the lab are clearly shown to have been able to assemble themselves by chance. Otherwise all we have seen is intelligent design. - The whole issue is an extremely difficult area to establish proof. It will be proof by analogy.