Origin of Language (Origins)

by dhw, Thursday, April 09, 2015, 19:14 (3514 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Since one human generation is about 20 years, there are only five in 100 years. 15 major changes from apes in 3.5 million years requiring many, many mutations. Enough time?
dhw: Of course it's enough time - it happened!-DAVID: That statement is a truism that doesn't tell us why or how it happened so quickly. In the Wistar Institute math conference of 1967 was the first and one of the best estimates of the lack of time by the Darwin chance mutation method. Human mutation rate is too slow for the time allotted. -Why have you suddenly brought in the Darwin chance mutation method? Over and over again we have agreed to discount chance mutations - although even then it is patently absurd for anyone to claim they know how long it normally takes for apes to evolve into humans. “One of the best”? Another judgement that cannot be confirmed. In our own discussions, I have suggested that it happened through organisms having an inventive mechanism (possibly deigned by your God) that was able to exploit new conditions in order to bring about advantageous changes. The only clue we have as to the existence of such a mechanism is the fact that we know organisms can adapt to new conditions, which itself involves making changes to their own structure.-dhw: By all means argue that the mechanisms of life and evolution are too complex not to have been designed, but don't try to kid us that you know how long it normally takes for apes to evolve into humans.
DAVID: As noted above estimates are present.-As noted above, nobody can possibly know the “normal” rate, but in any case we are not dealing with random mutations.