Return to David's theory of evolution and theodicy (Evolution)

by David Turell , Sunday, June 11, 2023, 18:06 (321 days ago) @ dhw

The human brain

dhw: Not exactly “new”, as they retain their old neurons, but yes, you’ve finally cottoned on, so let’s have no more of this nonsense about “excessive”, “spare”, “redundant”, “reserve” neurons and oversized brains.

DAVID: Sorry, but new neurons are added to new larger brains in evolution.

dhw: I’m delighted that you’ve dropped your theory that the new neurons were excessive, spare, redundant and in reserve. Of course new neurons were added, but I suggest they were added to existing brains, not brains that were created de novo. I believe in common descent, i.e. that we and our brains are descended from earlier forms of homo.

And I believe God speciates/speciated.

Cellular intelligence

DAVID: Epigenetics is one form of adaptation we see for cell intelligence, but no new speciation.

dhw: I know. But as you now accept that individual cells are autonomously intelligent (which enables them to edit their own DNA) and retain their autonomous intelligence when they form communities, why would they ever lose the ability to edit their own DNA – as is essential for speciation?

Only bacteria can fully edit DNA.

INFORMATION IS THE BASIS OF LIVING BIOLOGY.

dhw: Of course information exists, and I only object when you and others use the word so loosely, unnecessarily and misleadingly that it causes confusion and contradiction, as above and throughout this discussion.

DAVID: The word is commonly used intelligently, but you always bristle at it.

dhw: I frequently use it myself, and I only bristle when it is used in such a manner that it creates confusion and contradiction, as in your statement that information is never created “de novo”, and your belief that the inert information in DNA is the basis of living biology although inert DNA information cannot be used until there is already living biology to use it.

ID uses it frequently in ways you object to.

Homo habilis

DAVID: See: Human evolution: genes driving toward sapiens (Introduction)
by David Turell @, Monday, April 26, 2021, 20:08 (775 days ago) @ David Turell

Special genes driving human evolution. Why? Not chance but God editing DNA.

dhw: No doubt because of my own technical incompetence, I’ve wasted a lot of time trying “search” in order to find this. Please summarize the argument. See above concerning intelligent cells, not chance, editing DNA.

Briefly, the human genome has HAR's, rapidly reacting portions driving human evolution.

Influence of Neanderthal genes

DAVID: these results are generalizations about genetic influences. Were these trysts consensual? I doubt it. Humans and Neanderthals coexisted side by side, but there is no evidence of cooperation.

dhw: I’m sorry, but if we have inherited Neanderthal genes, I can guarantee that at least one Neanderthal and one sapiens must have cooperated in the closest manner possible.

And the other may not have cooperated.