Biological complexity: protozoa sans mitochondria (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, May 24, 2016, 20:16 (3105 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: But with my theistic hat still on, I'm a little surprised at your reason for God dropping in. I can think of at least three different reasons: 1) to get rid of organisms because he's had enough of them; 2) to allow organisms a wider range of inventiveness by changing the environment, e.g. increasing the amount of oxygen; 3) to experiment. - God steps in (in my view) to make sure that evolution stays on course to produce humans. The bush is allowed to spread as it wishes. - > dhw;the very fact that some scientists believe cells/cell communities to be intelligent does at least give us a possible starting point.
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> dhw: My point is that your God was willing to set up “a mechanism that can act without his control”. If he gave humans a freedom of choice between right and wrong, he could also have given other organisms the freedom to work out their own ”complexifications”. - You still keep touting a small group of scientists to support your hypothesis. So be it. Their chance of being correct is no more than 50/50 and in my view much less. - > 
> dhw: You left out the fact that I said it was not the same! (“I am not comparing an evolutionary free-for-all to moral choice!”) My only point was to show that your God was willing to give up control. - And my point is God knew that having an organism with consciousness would automatically give it free will. His intent was humans with consciousness, so that choice forced Him to accept humans with free will. He was required to allow it or have a limited consciousness. - > David: All religion is guesswork[/i].
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> Of course it is.... The fact that there cannot be any definitive answers did not stop you writing two excellent books exploring an area of knowledge that has no degree of exactitude, working backward from what you think you see, and coming up with a conclusion that can only be guesswork: “Science is finding God”. - Thank you.