Human evolution; unique in the universe? (Introduction)

by dhw, Tuesday, June 11, 2019, 13:41 (2002 days ago) @ David Turell

QUOTE: "Evolutionary theory remains a work in progress, and in recent years some contrarian biologists have challenged the dogma that there is no directionality in evolution. (David’s bold)

DAVID: Note my bold. I believe there is directionality to evolution from simple to complex. Certainly it cannot be denied consciousness is an amazingly complex current result. But I see Davies as offering little hope for alien life.

I would also challenge the view that there is no directionality in evolution. It would be absurd to deny that human consciousness is amazingly complex. The great question, however, is how ALL the advances (not just human) from simple bacteria to the complexities of whales and elephants and camels and monarch butterflies and ant colonies etc. have come about. If there is alien life, perhaps it consists of bacteria only. What enabled single cells to create these vast and increasingly complex communities? For a change, David, I am on your side – but of course our whole discussion centres on the various possible explanations: a designer God doing it all, or designing an intelligent mechanism to work autonomously, or the same mechanism evolving from some form of rudimentary panpsychic intelligence, or chance coming up with the right combination in the course of an eternity and infinity of combinations? It seems to me that belief in any of these hypotheses requires a great deal of faith!