Natures wonders: trees induce ants to protect them (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, September 21, 2017, 15:16 (2618 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: Like Reznick's guppies the ants adapted to the tree's welcome arrangement. God arranged for epigenetic changes. The ants did the rest. Obvious.

dhw: What do you mean by “arranged for”? Did he preprogramme/dabble each individual change, or did he give ants and other organisms the means (cellular intelligence) of making the changes themselves?

DAVID: We all know organisms can use epigenetic mechanisms (from God) to adapt. Obvious.

dhw: If epigenetic mechanisms are used to adapt, then yes indeed, it is obvious that epigenetic mechanisms are used to adapt. Now perhaps you will answer the question: do organisms use these epigenetic mechanisms autonomously, i.e. in this case did the ants work out how to use the tree’s “welcome arrangement” all by themselves, without divine instructions, without divine preprogramming, but purely and simply through their own (possibly God-given) intelligence?

It is just like Reznick's guppies. They changed sizes by themselves using genetic mechanisms God gave them. I view the ants as doing the same.