More Miscellany (General)

by dhw, Tuesday, May 07, 2024, 11:28 (12 days ago) @ David Turell

Aquatic spiders

DAVID: Degree of complexity dictates the work of a designer.

dhw: Agreed. Our exchange was as follows:

dhw:...since the spiders are still spiders, I wouldn’t have thought these changes counted as major.

DAVID: Neither do I.

dhw: So I don’t know why you thought these minor changes (= less complexity than major changes) required the work of God.

You still haven’t told us.

dhw: You’ve also forgotten to tell us why it’s a “just-so story” to suggest that organisms might move elsewhere if there is a shortage of food or they are in danger where they are, which I suggest is a major factor in the development of evolution, as organisms must change in order to meet new requirements.

DAVID: Just-so stories fit the circumstances as logical explanations while ignoring underlying complexities.

I’m trying as gently as possible to alert you to your misuse of language. You referred to the above (organisms will move if there’s danger or a shortage of food) as a just-so story (= highly unlikely), and then as a truism (= obviously true). The latter is the exact opposite of the former. Let’s drop the subject.

Early barred spiral galaxies

DAVID: God produces for His purpose. Why trillions of galaxies? God's purpose is enough reason.

dhw: So according to you, God’s one and only desire to produce us and our food explains why he had to design trillions of galaxies, just as he had to design and cull 99.9 out of 100 species that had nothing to do with us. And in order to verify your theory, all I have to do is go and ask God.

DAVID: Who else can you ask in this event where God is in charge.

I ask you, because you are the one who proposes the theory that your God designed the trillions of galaxies for the sole purpose of producing our galaxy, us, and our contemporary species. If you can’t think of a reason, maybe there is something wrong with your theory.

Cicadas XIII and XIX appear in same place

QUOTE: Once its fungal plug has been torn apart, the newly disemboweled bug will sprinkle spores wherever it goes, passing this zombie fungus on to the next generation of cicadas.

DAVID: each brood plays a role in its ecosystem. Another weird animal in the vast bush of life.

Yuck! But I appreciate your comment. It applies to every ecosystem that has ever existed, and if your God exists, he must have had a reason for designing them (your theory), or letting them evolve through random mutations and natural selection (Darwin’s theory), or letting them design themselves autonomously (theistic version of Shapiro’s theory). The weirder they are – and the further back in time we go – the greater seems the likelihood of a massive free-for-all, and the lesser seems the likelihood that every single one was designed for the sole purpose of producing us and our contemporary species.

Protect a pregnancy

QUOTES: "But the placenta breaks these rules, according to the new research. Somehow, it turns on defenses before they are necessary and then leaves them on without harming itself or the fetus.”
“It protects but doesn’t damage […] Evolution is so smart.”

DAVID: The purpose is clear but how could this naturally happen? Trial and error would be disastrous. It reeks of a designer mind at work.

One’s heart goes out to the mice, who seem to be the main providers of all this information! As usual, I agree with you that these complex processes “reek” of design, and evolution is not “smart”. Evolution is a process, not a mind. The choice of explanations is the same as under “Cicadas”, but in answer to your comment, I would suggest that solutions to problems only arise once a problem appears. It seems to me perfectly possible that the relevant cells developed this strategy to improve chances of survival once problems became acute. Problems don’t automatically mean immediate extinction, and solutions can take time to find, as we know from the lives of bacteria.