Evolution took a long time; catagorizing econiches (Introduction)

by dhw, Friday, October 13, 2017, 11:07 (2598 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: And my point is all organisms with skeletons have the same pattern to start with.

dhw: Agreed. Clear evidence of common descent. That’s all.

DAVID: 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?

dhw: All agreed, except that I don’t understand why you insert “easily”. My hypothesis is that the cell communities know how to modify, and it may be that your God gave them that knowledge and the means to implement it (“cellular intelligence”). Personally, I would see that as simpler than your God preprogramming every change to be passed on through 3.8 billion years or having to make personal interventions, e.g. when the dear old weaverbird fails to tie his knots (or was his nest also preprogrammed?)

DAVID: I view epigenetic adaptations as 'easy' modifications of existing patterns, and I assume that following a pervious pattern makes speciation easier to accomplish.

That’s fine with me, then. Less inventiveness required from the intelligent cell communities as they build on patterns created by their predecessors. Fits in perfectly with my hypothesis.