Biological complexity: feedback loops are vital (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, October 03, 2019, 20:43 (1661 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: ...it is true that older ants teach younger ones and that a leader ant will make a trip-change- in-direction decision, but all the following ants will automatically follow the leader. The colonies' memory is mainly due to the individuals' constant similar responses.

dhw: In all societies there are leaders and followers. That doesn’t mean the leaders and the followers are all automatons! You refuse to acknowledge that every form of behaviour has to have an origin. Once it is established, of course individuals will perpetuate the responses. But the article makes it crystal clear that new decisions are taken every day. If you really think every new decision was preprogrammed 3.8 billion years ago, so be it.

DAVID: Yes, so be it.

dhw: Again, as with your theory of evolution, it’s important to understand exactly what your proposals mean. Let us remember that ants have brains. It appears, however, that you believe every decision made not only by brainless bacteria but also by some organisms (I presume you exclude humans and other large organisms) with brains was preprogrammed 3.8 billion years ago, to be passed on by the very first cells. These decisions apply to all the natural wonders you have listed, such as the monarch butterfly’s lifestyle and the weaverbird’s nest, and all stages of the pre-whale’s adaptations to marine life – all laid out in those very first cells, even though your God’s one and only intention was to specially design H. sapiens. You agree that this seems illogical (you have “no idea” why he chose this method),

Your constant distortion: My 'no idea' simply means I don't guess at His reasons for his choices, not that I think it is illogical. I'm sure God is perfectly logical.

dhw: but it is logical so long as we do not apply human logic it. Since you are not prepared to use human reasoning, the discussion could well end there, but it is bound to be reopened whenever you try to justify your preprogramming theory.

I don't try to apply human logic to it, that is the point, which for some unknown reason you refuse to recognize.