Evolution, survival and adaptation (Evolution)

by David Turell , Sunday, October 01, 2017, 14:37 (2608 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: What purpose? All you offer is H. sapiens’ brain! (You did once mention a desire to communicate with us, but that became a problem with our interlocutor being hidden.) I have suggested purposes for individual organisms and for your God producing the whole bush of evolution AND the human brain. You wrote: “We don’t know if he is watching, but since he is in charge, I’m sure he is. Why create and not watch the outcomes?” And you conceded that this must mean he is interested. If this doesn’t suggests a show of some kind, perhaps you will tell us what other purpose you think he had in creating the higgledy-piggledy bush of a billion and one organisms, lifestyles and wonders, including the brain of Homo sapiens, while remaining hidden and watching with interest.
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dhw: The problem is that the deeper we delve, the more disconnected your hypothesis becomes. I notice you are also avoiding the subject of purpose, which you were so keen to push before. But perhaps you are right not to delve. When people are satisfied, perhaps one shouldn’t question their beliefs. And yet Dawkins is another who seems to be satisfied with how it all fits together, but you don’t hesitate to delve.

DAVID: I haven't avoided the issue of purpose. It is you who seem to avoid it. Humans with their amazing brain is the primary purpose, which you always wish to deny. The other evolutionary developments support complex ecosystems which support evolution. To me it all fits together, so why delve deeper. Where is the deeper?

dhw: I have reproduced the paragraph which I devoted to purpose and to which you have not responded. If your all-powerful God deliberately created all the complex organisms and ecosystems extant and extinct (which would have to include all the environmental changes – one of several issues you vacillate over), and if they were not directly connected to the production of the human brain (even you can’t find a connection between eight stages of whale, the weaverbird’s nest, the frog’s poison etc. and the human brain), then maybe they had another purpose. And maybe that other purpose also applied to the human brain. Or don’t you think he must have had a purpose in producing the human brain? That is what I call delving deeper. Until you can explain how your God’s personal design or preprogramming of the weaverbird’s nest “fits together” with the production of the human brain, there can be no “fitting together” of your prime purpose and the history of evolution.

My not delving into your thought processes of God's purposes is I find many of your questions unanswerable as I have stated. We can only understand God through what He has produced. His motives, from our standpoint are only educated guesses. You have yours, influenced from your non-belief, I have mine. Mine look consistent to me. Yours make me think, but if I have no answer to your questions, it is generally because I don't see how to reach one I can believe. As for watching, since God created form and function, I'm sure He watches to see how His creations are working out their lives at a functional level. Does He judge human choices and moral behavior? Doubtful. As for fitting in whales, weaverbirds, etc., I'll stick with ecosystems for food supply.