Evolution took a long time; catagorizing econiches (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, October 11, 2017, 15:11 (2600 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID’s comment: Long ago I noted that basic designs were set up at the start of multicellular life. Our skeletons compare easily to lizards. All lizards are similar and adapt to different environments. Viewed this way evolution doesn't look quite so bushy. God set up a simple path to follow in the beginning.

dhw: Frankly, I don’t find it surprising that particular organisms are suited to particular environments. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t survive. I do find it surprising that the billions of organisms, lifestyles and natural wonders extant and extinct finding their own niches should somehow be regarded as providing evidence that “God set up a simple path to follow in the beginning”. It looks to me as though organisms found their own paths as and when they emerged from earlier forms of life into ever changing environments, thereby creating an ever changing bush.

DAVID: My point is pattern planning to make the process of evolution simpler. Your point is correct after the patterns are set up.

dhw: I know you think your God planned everything in advance. My point is that organisms would have worked out their own patterns and passed them on. I don’t know why that should be seen as less simple than your God working all the patterns out 3.8 billion years ago and getting the first cells to pass them on and on and on until the new environments and organisms appeared.

And my point is all organisms with skeletons have the same pattern to start with. All adaptations are variations on the same theme. Simplifies the job of evolution. Still doesn't explain speciation, but your theoretical organisms easily know how to modify?