New Oxygen research; pre-Ediacaran (Introduction)

by dhw, Wednesday, July 20, 2016, 12:23 (3048 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: I find it difficult not to conclude that there WAS an underlying drive. For me it fits in perfectly with the idea that changes in the environment may not only require adaptations (already known) but - as you say - may also provide opportunities for innovation. For you, this all has to be done by God preprogramming or dabbling. As you may have realized by now, I find it more likely that they are possessed of their own autonomous ability (possibly God-given) both to adapt and to innovate. - DAVID: To me the Cambrian is a prime example of why your idea falls short. All of the complex organs we have (brain, heart, kidney, liver, hormones? arrived all at once, all highly complex, all requiring special planning and special coordination of processes. Simple Ediacarans planned that? No way. - The Cambrian is an astonishing event, but no matter what explanation we come up with, there has to be an inventive process and the cell communities must cooperate (special coordination of processes). Your theistic explanation demands belief that your God personally preprogrammed or dabbled a vast variety of innovations for his own enjoyment (he likes complexity for complexity's sake). My theistic explanation demands belief that he endowed organisms with the ability to produce a vast variety of innovations for his own enjoyment. Since you believe your God can do whatever he wants to do, I really can't see why my explanation falls any shorter than yours.