Miscellany: gaps in evolution cause discontinuity (General)

by David Turell , Friday, June 18, 2021, 20:56 (1044 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: The gap is complexity, not time. After over 150 years of hunting the gap persists, the fossils are not there.

dhw: The gap is lack of fossils to prove that one species developed from another. Why do you think there should be fossils of organisms that lived 540 million years ago? Some scientists believe that 10 million years is not long enough for the development of all the complexities of the new Cambrian species. I’ll assume from your non-response that you do not regard the time as inadequate.

Time is not the issue and I don't think the fossils are there. Why do you think they should be there? My Grand Canyon experience tells me the boundary line is quite clear between the two layers and the Chinese discoveries h ave on ly increased teh complexity gap.

dhw: If God is capable of designing cellular intelligence, why do you dismiss Shapiro’s theory and cling to your equally unconfirmed theory – that God designed every species individually – which raises insoluble problems of logic when combined with your other beliefs? Please bear in mind that Shapiro’s theory does not exclude God.

I know that. I don't dismiss his theory. It is in my book!! I dismiss your extrapolations of his theory,

DAVID: All of the new fossils support the complexity gap. All you can do is hope with Darwin.

dhw: I am not “hoping”, I am merely theorizing. What you call the “complexity gap” is simply another way of saying that we do not have a complete fossil record of how less complex organisms evolved into more complex organisms. And you take this to mean that such fossils do not exist and therefore the more complex organisms must have been separately designed. We have no way of knowing what fossils do or don’t exist, and we have no right to assume that after 540 million years there would be any fossils anyway.

But the fossils exist and the complexity gap worsens.

DAVID: The point is the gaps require a designer.

dhw: The point is that you are tying yourself in knots over what constitutes continuity, and I am trying to straighten out the mess.

I shan’t repeat my summary of the main points, since you have ignored all but the final point:

dhw: 4) Ten million years is an enormous expanse of time in terms of generations of intelligent organisms adapting to or exploiting new conditions. Ignoring Shapiro's theory does not invalidate it.

The 10 million years is in the start of the Cambrian and only Cambrian complexity appears!!!

DAVID: Again the gap is not time. It is sudden massive complexity of Cambrian

dhw: Fine. Shapiro’s theory would explain how organisms responded to what must have been a sudden massive change in conditions by adapting to or exploiting those conditions.

Only if it is true and correct.