David's theory of evolution: James A. Shapiro's view (Evolution)

by dhw, Sunday, January 12, 2020, 12:18 (1775 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: So do you deny that these organized organs consist of different cell communities?

DAVID: Silly. Of course not.

dhw: So stop this “silly” business of changing the word to “committees” and pretending that I am distorting Shapiro’s theory when he makes it crystal clear that he believes in cell communities (organisms) that design their own evolutionary novelties.

DAVID: He offers it as a theory. It doesn't rise to a true belief for him or anyone else.

We would have to ask him whether he actually believes it. But yes, it is a theory, and his theory is that organisms design their own evolutionary novelties, so please stop pretending that I am distorting it.

dhw: Now tell me, what “hyperbole”? He does not confine his theory to bacteria. His theory applies to all cells.

DAVID: Yes, a proposed theory as a possible explanation for speciation of multicellular organisms.

So please stop pretending that his theory is confined to bacteria just because his own research is on bacteria (all scientists use other scientists’ research in their theories), and stop pretending that I am distorting that theory, and either withdraw the “hyperbole” accusation, or provide evidence that Shapiro has changed his mind.

[Same points repeated….]

DAVID: And i would conclude his research results are fabulous and a great contribution in general to the research. I use God for the process. You don't and seize upon Shapiro as a solution for your agnosticism. Again we see Shapiro thru different prisms.

Shapiro is not a “solution” for my agnosticism. My agnosticism has nothing whatsoever to do with the theory or its feasibility. Our starting point is Chapter Two of life’s history, and the theory is that the designers of the evolutionary novelties which constitute Chapter Two are cognitive, sentient, communicative, information-processing, decision-making cells. It makes no difference whether Chapter One (the origin of life and of the mechanisms enabling evolution) was the work of God or not. Your opposition to the theory is based entirely on your prejudice against the 50/50 concept of cellular intelligence, and your refusal to believe that your God might just possibly think differently from the way you interpret his thoughts.