New Miscellany 2: atheism, eco, future, fossils (General)

by David Turell , Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 16:42 (10 hours, 2 minutes ago) @ dhw

New oxygen research

DAVID: That God exists is a 50/50 statement for you, so at least 50% of your thinking is atheist.

dhw: Of course, but in our discussions concerning your ridicule of your God by means of an absurdly illogical theory of evolution, and when I offer you alternative theistic interpretations of life’s history, it is my theistic 50% that is talking.

Unfortunately, I feel you come across as 90% atheist.

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DAVID: The future is unknown to us. I have specifically said evolution is over. The Earth has evolved to support us. So I see us as the purposeful endpoint.

dhw: Since the future is unknown to us, it is patently absurd to tell us that evolution is over!!! So much for your proof that we are the purposeful endpoint!

DAVID: Do you see any speciation? Evolution is over.

dhw: There is no speciation at the moment, but since the future is unknown to us, it is illogical to assume that there will be no further speciation in the future! (NB For all we know, future speciation may produce life forms vastly less intelligent than humans but better able to survive new conditions.)

What 'new conditions' do you imagine? I see none.

Human evolution: in Indonesia area

DAVID: New fossils are filling recognized gaps.

dhw: Yes, it’s happening all the time, so it’s perhaps a bit premature to say that recognized gaps will never be filled.

I agree.

Astrocytes new found role

DAVID: They were placed there for a reason and now that reason is now understood. From a design standpoint having systems for slower reactions makes perfect sense.

dhw: The experiments on fish, mice and fruit flies confirm that all cells in all types of brain will have a function. From a “design standpoint”, this will apply whether the design is carried out directly by your God, or by intelligent cell communities recognizing the need for certain types of reaction. The latter theory does not exclude your God as its designer.

DAVID: True agnosticism.

dhw: Thank you. A welcome sign that you are beginning to understand that agnosticism is not synonymous with atheism.

You still come across as 90% atheist.