More miscellany Parts One & Two (Evolution)

by David Turell , Friday, August 30, 2024, 19:52 (17 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: For some reason, you have not responded to this post. It may be because you have no answers, but I’ll edit it down to its basics in case there’s been a technical hitch.

I have no idea how I might have slipped this entry.

The universe

dhw: We don’t even know the whole universe, and we haven’t even explored all those parts of the universe that we do know. Unless every galaxy contains life, how can you claim that every galaxy is fine-tuned for life?

DAVID: Subdue your wishes. The universe is defined as fine-tuned everywhere from the Big Bang producing physical constants (at least 18+ of them).

dhw: How can anyone define the universe in terms of “everywhere” being “fine-tuned for life” when the general consensus is that about 95% of the universe is unknown to us?

The physics of the Big Bang produced a uniform universe. We may not see 95.5% but it is the same everywhere.

Our heart differs from great apes

DAVID: Why do you constantly invoke Shapiro's theory, with its simple basis that bacteria edit their own DNA?

dhw: Please stop pretending that Shapiro’s theory is based solely on his knowledge of bacteria. You yourself have already quoted numerous websites that support the concept of intelligent cells in all forms of life. Why do you constantly invoke the theory that there is an unknowable, supernatural, sourceless being who designed life imperfectly and inefficiently for the sole purpose of producing us, and who may have human attributes but can’t have human attributes, and is all-good but is to blame for all the evils that have not been created by humans?
Your prejudice is illustrated by the next entry:

A viral bacterial defense mechanism

DAVID: Bacteria are their own defense inventors. As free-living single cells, they must have these abilities to survive. When multicellular organism appeared, a special group of cells became the immunity system and cells lost the self-editing capacity.

dhw: How do you know? You have always agreed that cellular activities LOOK intelligent (which = an autonomous self-editing capacity), but you just happen to know that although God gave this to single cells, he took it away from them when they formed communities. Please stop expressing your opinions as statements of fact.

I can never bend to your hopeless wish for intelligent cells that can speciate.

The vagus nerve

DAVID: […] After seeing this arrangement can one doubt design?

dhw: As always, many thanks for yet another fascinating insight into the complexities of living things. And I agree: they can only be there by design. The wide open questions remain: what did the designing (your God? The cells themselves?) and what designed the designer(s)?

DAVID: The designer is just IS, no designer required.

dhw: Yes, that is the equivalent of an atheistic response that life just happened, no designer required. Pots and kettles.

The average atheist thinks chance mutations will do it. Darwin is their God.