David's theory of evolution (Evolution)

by David Turell , Sunday, October 20, 2019, 23:10 (1859 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: Yes, they are alternative theistic explanations of the course and purpose of evolution, and you agree that they are logical. When I challenge your own guess, you acknowledge that in order to believe it, you must abandon human reasoning when you apply it to the history. I don’t know how you can stick to your one fixed belief when as far as you, a human being, are concerned it is illogical.

DAVID: I've never abandoned reason. The only guess I've made about God's intentions is humans were a prime goal. You accept our specialness, which can't be denied, and then attempt to reduce its importance. We are not just naked apes. We are extremely special and our consciousness cannot be explained by any theory of materialistic evolution.

dhw: Nobody can explain consciousness at any level. Again you say “a” prime purpose, but you have never yet offered us any other prime purpose. Your theory that your God decided to delay fulfilling his one and only purpose for 3.X billion years, and all other life forms etc. were “interim goals to establish the necessary food supply to cover the time he knew he had decided to take” is the one which requires the abandonment of human reason: “Nothing illogical required if one does not apply human reasoning to the actual history”. (Apologies for repeating points made on the consciousness hread. I will try to telescope these threads next time.)

For me the word prime means just that. I'm with Adler. We were the prime goal. The universe, the Earth and all the bush of life had to be accomplished to allow us as the final result. I firmly believe we are the end point, and major evolution is over.

DAVID: My reasoning is explained above. I've never stopped reasoning. You are the one who invents all sorts of woolly possibilities, none of which are supported by the reality of the history of God's works.

dhw: And yet you agreed above that my “suggestions are logical at a human level”! Only yours requires the abandonment of human reason.

Not abandonment. My position is fully reasoned from my research

dhw: I do not question the importance of the balance of nature for the survival of any species, including humans. I question your theory that for 3.X billion years your God had to design loads and loads of different ecosystems, the vast majority of which are extinct and had nothing whatever to do with humans, because although humans were his only purpose, for reasons you cannot even begin to fathom he had decided not to design them for 3.X billion years.

DAVID: God made the proper preparations for humans. If He simply produced us and nothing else, that is the totally illogical extension of the points you constantly make, that are so illogical. The Earth was prepared for us over time, that is the logical thought.

dhw: Of course he would have had to make the proper preparations for humans, but that does not mean that 3.X billion years' worth of non-human life forms, lifestyles and natural wonders were “interim goals”…as quoted above! Do you honestly believe that part of the preparation for H. sapiens was a wibbly-wobbly oojamiflip or a creepy-crawly what’sname that died out 3 billion years ago?

You know the answer. God evolved starting with single-celled organisms, and worked up to us.