An Alternative to Evolution: pt 2 (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, July 14, 2018, 18:44 (2322 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: We are having a tricky three-way conversation here. I am challenging David’s belief that all the information existed at the beginning (every innovation was preprogrammed) and therefore no new information is possible. You actually seem to be supporting my challenge. David’s reply is:

DAVID: New organs can be formed be rearranging DNA and deleting DNA, nothing added to the information hidden there waiting to come out.

dhw: So if your God dabbles (as opposed to preprogrammes) something completely new, like the knotty nest or the first brain, he does not provide any new “information”?

I saying He may not. Tony thinks He may.

TONY: We have no evidence for speciation, nor do we observe early life containing all the genetic information for more complex life, thus denying full pre-programmed evolution.

dhw: I don’t understand your first comment. No matter how you define “species”, the evidence for speciation is that species exist. We have no evidence for how it happened. I share your scepticism re fully preprogrammed evolution.

TONY: That leaves dabbling, which fits the evidence of the Cambrian explosion and similar events.

dhw: So is "dabbling" your alternative? Unfortunately, nobody has ever observed your hypothetical God dabbling – a “glaring defect”. David’s preprogramming hypothesis and my intelligent cell hypothesis also fit the Cambrian explosion and other events.

The Cambrian was an enormous dabble. Was a huge 'Britannica' of genetic information added then? It is well beyond intelligent cell committees abilities.

TONY: Could a designer have done it otherwise? Certainly. I just want to see the evidence for it laid out in a logical, falsifiable manner before I jump on board.

dhw: Welcome to the land of the agnostic, which also extends as far as to the existence of a designer.

Tony is trying in a scientific way to find God's methods. So am I.