Evolution took a long time (Introduction)

by dhw, Sunday, January 22, 2017, 12:59 (2862 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Because I see evidence they have the smarts to do it. the changes in the gaps is generally too complex.
dhw: I presume you mean “no evidence”. ... And you wonder why I accuse you of double standards.

DAVID: Yes, no evidence. If you would study the degree of physiological and phenotypic change in a new species you would understand why complex planning is required. It is no double standard to accept this requirement for speciation. You want God to endow prior organisms with this capacity for evolutionary complexity, and I don't believe He has. The only organism that has that possible capacity are current humans and we have to turn to natural mechanisms for guidance: Velco as an example. Brainy analysis is logically required. Your autonomous IM is a proposal with no logic behind it.

I am well aware of your objections even to the theistic version of my inventive mechanism hypothesis, which I accept, but as an explanation of evolution I find it infinitely more logical than a mechanism that has to pass on billions of divine computer programmes for all solutions, innovations and natural wonders, or your God personally teaching bacteria to solve problems and weaverbirds to build nests, all for the sake of producing humans. And I’m afraid that rejection on the grounds that there is no evidence for the existence of the mechanism applies just as much to your hypothesis as to mine. Double standards.

dhw: It doesn’t have to be chance. ...If you stand by your agreement that the autonomous, intelligent, inventive mechanism is possible, and you stop insisting that only God could plan or dabble every solution/innovation/ natural wonder, we could finally move on.
DAVID: You admit God might dabble. So, God is in ultimate control. That is my point.

If God exists, of course he is in ultimate control. But that does not mean that he could not have deliberately created a system that gives organisms the freedom to work out their own innovations, lifestyles and natural wonders.