Bacterial motors carefully studied (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, April 03, 2016, 15:34 (3156 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: If I understand BBella correctly, each organism can call on the knowledge and experience gained by its predecessors. Remember, we are dealing here with Chapter 2 in the history of life.-I know her point. At issue is her inference that animals can make adaptations, epigenetics, and I agree. But what we see in evolution is large gaps between phenotypes as animal series develop (whale as example). This requires new protein molecules acting in their specific ways, with prior knowledge of their functionalities not labeled on the molecules. Thus the landscape probability issue.
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> dhw: If you believe in common descent, all innovations have to take place within existing organisms. They are not looking out onto an endless landscape, but make internal adjustments to an already functioning mechanism that needs to adapt or has the opportunity to improve.-Directly opposite to my comment above. You are discussing epigenetics, not the gaps.-> dhw: My alternative theistic hypothesis is that God gave them the means of making those adjustments autonomously. Either he was capable of giving them that ability or he was not. Your response seems to suggest that he was not. They all had to be “guided”:-Built-in guidance solves your objection.-> http://www.viralvo.com/honey-badger/
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> Amazing video. -I loved the video, but don't you realize it was put-up job? The badger is bright, but his tools for escape were obviously provided. We had a horse who constantly got his mother out of her locked stall. It took me three attempts to solve the problem, but I beat him at his game. Animals ain't stupid. Currently we have to tie our show guy in. He can flip a lever with his tongue.-> dhw: And I could not agree more. But we are all arguing now from the viewpoint of incredulity. Like you, BBella, I cannot believe that God had to personally “guide” the weaverbird or the monarch, wasp, spider or cuttlefish etc. to work out their own modes of survival/improvement, and in addition I do not believe such wonders are geared to “balancing nature” for the sake of humans. It may well be that we can get no further than this, since David can't believe that organisms are intelligent enough to work out improvements, or that his God is capable of giving them such intelligence without their having to be “guided” by him.-You are still thinking at the gradual epigenetic level, not the major gaps of evolution.