Logic and evolution: doubting Darwin; (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, February 07, 2020, 02:18 (1538 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: More magical Darwin thought. Chance. No. Magical cells, yes.

dhw: Nothing to do with Darwin! And there is no more “magic” involved in intelligent beings working out how to cope with or exploit new conditions than there is in having an unknown intelligent mind organizing the same activity.

As before cells cannot jump gaps in the fossil record.

dhw: You say your God dabbled them or programmed them all 3.8 billion years ago, thereby personally designing every single piece of equipment throughout life’s history (despite wanting only to design H. sapiens).

DAVID: Again your distorted view of my beliefs. God knew, as you well recognize, the tree of life has to be here before us in order to evolve us, but also to provide the energy sources for life to continue.

dhw: I do not recognize that millions and millions of non-human life forms “had to be here” before an all-powerful, all-knowing, do-what-he-wants-however-he-wants God could produce the only thing he wanted to produce. That is the non-sensical part of your theory, and you have “no idea” why he would have chosen such a method.

I know it makes no sense to you. All-powerful God chose to evolve. You cannot deny the logic of that sentence,

DAVID: You don't explain the gaps by assuming cell committees can design for the future, based on the bacterial ability to edit DNA for necessary responses, as the same species.

dhw: I SHAN’T CARRY OUT MY EARLIER THREAT TO FILL A WHOLE PAGE, SINCE THESE POSTS COINCIDE. MY THEORY DOES NOT INVOLVE ANY DESIGN FOR THE FUTURE. CELLS RESPOND. THEY DO NOT ANTICIPATE.

Right cells do not anticipate and your theory doesn't explain the gaps.

The next part of your post is dealt with elsewhere. The repetitions are becoming tedious, but I don’t have time now to telescope the threads. My apologies to anyone interested.

DAVID: I introduced you to Shapiro and you swallow him, book, line and sinker in a frantic attempt to diminish God or abolish Him. I know you will complain you make theistic efforts. You always do in an anemic humanized way.

dhw: This is your usual “frantic attempt” to dodge the illogicality of your own theory and to impose unworthy motives on my attempts to find logical explanations for the mysteries we grapple with. I do not regard this theory as in any way diminishing or abolishing God. It simply provides a logical explanation for the history of evolution as we know it, and the fact that you have fixed beliefs about your God’s purpose, nature, abilities and methods does not mean your illogical theory is correct, your view of God is correct, or my alternative theories and views of God are incorrect.

You don't accept my view of God and His purpose. We cannot solve that difference of opinion.