Theoretical origin of life; subterranean extremophiles (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, November 27, 2017, 13:52 (2553 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID’s comment: Note the cooperative behaviour of these strange organisms. Not Darwinian at all. Life blooms easily on Earth with God's control. Perhaps life started in this weird area. (dhw’s bold)
[…]
dhw: Yes, life obviously blooms easily on Earth, but even if God exists, I have no idea why you think all these different life forms are evidence of control. Looks to me as if they’re just happily going about their business like the rest of us! (David’s bold)

DAVID: I've bolded your sentence above to point out that the reason life blooms easily is because the God you deny made it that way. Remember the research we've done finds it very hard to figure out how to start life, yet 'it blooms easily' in your words.

dhw: ‘Life blooms easily’ were your words (bolded above), but you seem to have forgotten what you meant. I presumed it was a reference to life’s astonishing fecundity and variety, not its origin. I do not deny God – I am an agnostic, not an atheist. And my comment concerned evidence of control, not the origin of life. If it weren’t for those three errors, there might have been a point somewhere.

DAVID: Your points are well taken, but it is still obvious that life appeared quickly and easily on Earth, a point that should startle you. Was it a natural event? I doubt it. Do you?

Neither you nor I have the slightest idea how quickly and easily it began, or what the criteria are for speed and ease. Of course life is a startling and wondrous event. Was it natural (Reblak’s hypothesis) or designed by a God (your hypothesis)? You and I have spent nearly ten years discussing the question, and we still don’t know the answer, though you think you do.