Extinctions: Massive eruptions (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, August 26, 2016, 00:50 (3012 days ago) @ dhw

David's comment: This study shows the balance of nature is so important and current environment is part of that balance. Most extinctions are bad luck, described in previous entries.
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> dhw: Balance of nature simply means relations between living organisms and their environment. If the environment goes bust, the organisms go bust. And if extinctions are bad luck, it makes nonsense of the whole concept of divine planning and preprogramming. Your God carefully creates all these wonderful creatures, and then a bit of bad luck kills 99% of them! The whole process reeks of chance, and the only theistic explanation I can see is that this is how your God wanted it. In other words, he created all the conditions that would lead to an unpredictable ebb and flow of comings and goings (though he could do the occasional dabble if he felt like it). If you disagree, please give me an alternative theistic explanation for what you call “bad luck”.-We don't know if the Chicxulub asteroid was God's doing or not. The 'bad luck' quote is in the title of David Raup's highly regarded book. What seems to be true is that with each giant extinction, evolution advanced to more complex forms. If God is at work the process is working. Humans are here. Not at all unpredictable.