Miscellany: gaps in evolution cause discontinuity (General)

by David Turell , Saturday, June 19, 2021, 15:41 (1251 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: My Grand Canyon experience tells me the boundary line is quite clear between the two layers and the Chinese discoveries have only increased the complexity gap.

dhw: I don’t know why you assume that every organism that ever lived must have visited the Grand Canyon and left a fossil or two behind.

Make a fun point. My background in geology is what I illustrated. Our Geology professor guide taught us three semesters of geology in nine days.

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.

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

dhw: What extrapolations? The quotes could hardly be clearer: he believes that cellular intelligence produced the “novelties” that resulted in speciation. What have I added?

You know, darn well, the extrapolation: brilliant cell committees produced evolution

DAVID: But the fossils exist and the complexity gap worsens.

dhw: This is getting silly. We only know of the fossils that have been found. We do not know if there are others, but even if there are no more to be discovered, that does not prove that no other life forms existed.

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.

dhw: 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.

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

dhw: How does that prove that intelligent cells (possibly created by your God) did not design the complexities?

I've disagreed before: God does not do secondhand creation

dhw: 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.

DAVID: Only if it is true and correct.

dhw: You have grasped a fundamental truth. A theory will only be true if it is true.

Try that on yours. We both have firm theories we prefer.