Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: js1138
Reality isn't hostage to the psychoses of individuals. Science deals with what we can know. It does with it very effectively and accumulates reliable knowledge

Where you and I differ is you assume that Evolution including random generation of life, random mutation into desirable attributes and, finally, natural selection weeding out the unfit. This is a theory, hypothesis or assumption. It is not IMHO scientific fact. From my perspective if you assume it is scientific fact it is no different than a Christian assuming the virgin birth of Christ. Both require faith and cannot be disproved on the basis of facts and scientific inference.

I am not belittling your beliefs just noting their commonality with other beliefs.

74 posted on 07/23/2006 1:05:24 PM PDT by shrinkermd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies ]


To: shrinkermd
Where you and I differ is you assume that Evolution including random generation of life, random mutation into desirable attributes and, finally, natural selection weeding out the unfit.

This is not a reasonable statement of evolution.

76 posted on 07/23/2006 1:06:55 PM PDT by js1138 (Well I say there are some things we don't want to know! Important things!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies ]

To: shrinkermd
Re 74: Evolution including random generation of life, random mutation into desirable attributes and, finally, natural selection weeding out the unfit. This is a theory, hypothesis or assumption. It is not IMHO scientific fact. From my perspective if you assume it is scientific fact it is no different than a Christian assuming the virgin birth of Christ. Both require faith and cannot be disproved on the basis of facts and scientific inference.

Your dislike for randomness is curious. It seems to be true that humans mentally prefer predictability and certainty, and religions try to offer that. But, in fact, every one of us is the product of more or less random events: who we meet and have children with; exactly which sperm united with which egg; the particular biochemical environment in the womb; surviving or missing natural calamities; diseases. A degree of randomness is inherent in every aspect of life.

Faith in the virgin birth is not at all equal to confidence in the age of the earth. Altho the VB of Jesus cannot be disproved, it is sensible to note that it is extremely improbable. No virgin birth has been observed since then; there are numerous claims to a VB in other cultures hoping to give special status to a god or emperor, so the pattern is well-known in anthroplogy.

And, to turn the probabiliuty "argument" about a 747 being assembled by a tornado in a junk yard on its head: What is the probability that a man came from a VB 2000 years ago, given what we know about a sperm and ovum having to unite in a unique way, given what we know about genetics and DNA, given that we know that at least 7 billion other human births have taken place via a natural process that is a product of evolution and remarkably similar in all mammals?

It would seem that the probability of such a VB is mathematically as close to zero as you could want.

The age of the earth has been measured repeatedly by a whole ensemble of methods from nuclear physics, from astronomy and cosmology, and geology.

ID, on the other hand, has never published a single measurement of anything; ID has no laboratories, no field expeditions, no discoveries of anything, and no professional journal.

184 posted on 07/23/2006 6:26:56 PM PDT by thomaswest (Just curious)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson