Different in degree or kind: our speech has pitch control (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, June 30, 2018, 15:18 (2338 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: Each generation builds on the discoveries of its predecessors, and the more new ideas there are, the more complex must be the means of communication. Pre-sapiens would no doubt have had to refine their own means of communicating new thoughts to one another, and eventually the more primitive sounds made by our fellow primates would not have sufficed to keep up with the advances being made by our ancestors. Just as the bigger brain and indeed most major innovations require adjustments to the rest of the body, it is perfectly possible that the need for more flexible means of communication resulted in changes throughout the network of material mechanisms that implement vocal communication. In other words, the changes involving tongue, lips, throat and laryngeal muscles were not made in advance of human speech, but were the RESULT of humans trying to develop their own means of speech.

DAVID: Bottom up evolution with all the complicated parts designed by brainless committees of cells. Hard to believe in view of our beautifully designed vocal system with proper control areas in the brain.

dhw: It is no harder than believing that there is an unknown, unknowable, sourceless mind that preprogrammed every innovation, lifestyle and natural wonder 3.8 billion years ago, or dabbled them individually, which you claim is the "only interpetation possible". And it is no harder than believing that if such a mind does exist, it could have endowed brainless cells with an intelligence of their own (some prominent experts in the field have no doubt that cells are intelligent), and that these cells pool their intelligence to create all the innovations, lifestyles and natural wonders that constitute the history of evolution, rather than the unknown mind designing them all individually (including the 99% that are extinct) to keep life going until it could design sapiens’ brain and vocal chords.

The whole debate comes down to the evidence of design in life. Is there a causal designer or not? Despite dhw's denials, there are only two choices, designer or chance. And if there is a designer why would he delegate future design to brainless cells when it is simpler to set in and just do the designs when needed instead of hoping the cells can figure it out. Of course he could give them design parameters, but then what he designs into their planning modules gets very complicated. It is simpler to do it directly.

The next step is to study the biochemistry of life. The complexity is mind blowing. It cannot have happened without a chemical designer. Ask any organic chemist who tries to make useful molecules. Their comments have been presented here. Very difficult in the controlled atmosphere of the lab, and we are asked to accept they appeared by chance.

Conclusion: A designing mind is obviously required.