More "miscellany" (General)

by dhw, Sunday, November 07, 2021, 13:54 (873 days ago) @ David Turell

Cosmologic philosophy: dhw said once universe too big
DAVID: Yes God speciates in gaps like the Cambrian.

dhw: And that is why you can’t understand why, if his only purpose was to “evolve” humans he “evolved” all the species plus foods that had nothing to do with humans plus foods, and also “evolved” us humans plus foods, although he was perfectly capable of designing us directly.

DAVID: You don't recognize God's right to chose His method.

Of course I do (if he exists). What I can’t recognize is one grain of logic in the choice of purpose and method which you keep trying to impose on your God!

David v Dawkins
DAVID: If we anticipate answers from ongoing research that will validate or invalidate, we haven't turned our backs on science.

dhw: You turn your back on science the moment you ridicule someone else’s theory which is just as unproven as your own, and you hope or believe that science will prove your theory to be correct. Hoping for support, having faith in an unproven theory but ridiculing other theories because they are unproven, does not square with a scientific approach to any subject.

DAVID: I don't ridicule, by making my choices of reasonable theories.

Under “Dopamine” you wrote: “I don’t care what Dawkins thinks. He is only worth ignoring.” I agree that this is not exactly ridicule. I’d better add to my list of unscientific approaches: “Not caring what other scientists think”.

Instincts
dhw: I’m delighted at this universal agreement, and wish all those who agree would acknowledge that intelligent behaviour “may mean” that the cells are intelligent.

DAVID: 50/50 chance.

dhw: So please stop dismissing it.

DAVID: 50/50 is not dismissal. You are so touchy!

But all your statements on the subject are absolute rejection of the theory!

New Ediacaran fossils
DAVID: You can wish for lost fossils, but it will remain a desperate wish.

dhw: The heading alone tells you that NEW fossils are being discovered all the time. And you don’t seem to have noticed the alternation of long periods of stasis with short bursts of activity that coincide with changes in the environment (= Gould’s punctuated equilibrium), as cell communities (organisms) respond to those changes.

DAVID: The new fossils don't close the gap!!! Never have since Darwin 170 years ago.

My point was that new fossils are being found all the time. There is nothing definitive yet, and ironically you even agreed with Dawkins that “new science findings are anticipated to clarify theory.” But you have simply closed the book when it comes to the Cambrian!

dhw: We are still left with the possibility of absent fossils and/or cellular intelligence, as opposed to your God preprogramming or personally dabbling every individual change in all species throughout life’s history just so that he can preprogramme or dabble humans plus their food.

DAVID: Minor Edicaran increases in complexity don't close the gap. As above: 'The new fossils don't close the gap!!! Never have since Darwin 170 years ago.

All agreed, but hardly evidence of divine preprogramming or dabbling in order to fulfil the one and only aim of designing humans plus their food.

Strange changes in DNA form
DAVID: the appearance of New World monkeys is estimated at 35-70 million years ago. Gaps are everywhere.

And this is a point all too easily glossed over. In the history of life on Earth, even 35-70 million years is peanuts. We are amazed at what has happened in the last hundred years, but our minds simply cannot cope with the actual figures: millions, hundreds of millions, thousands of millions of years – and yet you expect fossils of every form that ever existed!


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