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

by David Turell , Tuesday, February 25, 2020, 14:32 (1731 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: My theory is my version of ID, as theistic evolution. That herd of folks won't discuss how God does it.

dhw: You challenged me to name the “plenty of scientists” who supported cellular intelligence. I did so. I then challenged you to name any scientists who backed your theory of “theistic evolution”, and you cannot name a single one. I therefore suggest you drop that particular line of attack.

Of course I can name them. That proves nothing to you, and wastes debate space. Stop repeating your tiny crew and I'll stop.

dhw: It is not a hope. It is a theory, but you obviously hope it is wrong since it would do away with your theory of a divine 3.8-billion-year-old computer programme for every single undabbled life form, econiche, strategy, lifestyle, bacterial response and natural wonder in the whole history of life, solely for the purpose of producing H. sapiens – a theory which, as far you know, is not shared by any scientist in the world.

I've based my theory on their findings, which I have the interpreted into my own theory. I don't need quoting a short list, as you must do.

DAVID: All you can do is conjure up a weak humanized God who gives the organisms the right to evolve themselves, which proves you have to recognize God by a back door to get around the problem of where did the intelligence come from.

dhw: There is no back door, and there is no “weak humanized God”. Concepts of God have nothing to do with the question of whether or not he preprogrammed/dabbled the whole of life’s history, or set it in motion by inventing cellular intelligence. Why do you regard the latter as a sign of weakness? What is weak about the creation of a mechanism that yields the astonishing and ever changing bush of life? A control freak is no less “humanized” than a God who allows evolution to run its own course (though always with the option of dabbling).

As you will not recognize my version of my God, we will disagree. Your totally humanized God who decides to create a spectacle of life's variety as His purpose is not the point for my purposeful God who would not allow organisms to run their own evolution and lose control of His purpose.