Posted on 06/22/2006 1:28:41 PM PDT by Tim Long
600 dissenters sign on challenging claims about support for theory
More than 600 scientists holding doctoral degrees have gone on the record expressing skepticism about Darwin's theory of evolution and calling for critical examination of the evidence cited in its support.
All are signatories to the Scientific Dissent From Darwinism statement, which reads: "We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged."
The statement, which includes endorsement by members of the prestigious U.S. National Academy of Sciences and Russian Academy of Sciences, was first published by the Seattle-based Discovery Institute in 2001 to challenge statements about Darwinian evolution made in promoting PBS's "Evolution" series.
The PBS promotion claimed "virtually every scientist in the world believes the theory to be true."
The list of 610 signatories includes scientists from National Academies of Science in Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary, India (Hindustan), Nigeria, Poland, Russia and the United States. Many of the signers are professors or researchers at major universities and international research institutions such as Cambridge University, British Museum of Natural History, Moscow State University, Masaryk University in Czech Republic, Hong Kong University, University of Turku in Finland, Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Mexico, University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, Institut de Paleontologie Humaine in France, Chitose Institute of Science & Technology in Japan, Ben-Gurion University in Israel, MIT, The Smithsonian and Princeton.
"Dissent from Darwinism has gone global," said Discovery Institute President Bruce Chapman. "Darwinists used to claim that virtually every scientist in the world held that Darwinian evolution was true, but we quickly started finding U.S. scientists that disproved that statement. Now we're finding that there are hundreds, and probably thousands, of scientists all over the world that don't subscribe to Darwin's theory."
The Discovery Institute is the leading promoter of the theory of Intelligent Design, which has been at the center of challenges in federal court over the teaching of evolution in public school classes. Advocates say it draws on recent discoveries in physics, biochemistry and related disciplines that indicate some features of the natural world are best explained as the product of an intelligent cause rather than an undirected process such as natural selection.
"I signed the Scientific Dissent From Darwinism statement because I am absolutely convinced of the lack of true scientific evidence in favor of Darwinian dogma," said Raul Leguizamon, M.D., pathologist and professor of medicine at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Mexico.
"Nobody in the biological sciences, medicine included, needs Darwinism at all," he added. "Darwinism is certainly needed, however, in order to pose as a philosopher, since it is primarily a worldview. And an awful one, as Bernard Shaw used to say."
Admit it. You are good at what you do, and you deserve it.
I am good at pointing out the endemic use of fallacies and where 'science' regularly crosses over into metaphysics. Many people don't like that because they don't like to re-examine their beliefs.
If you have any rational arguments, please post them so we can discuss.
Otherwise, you merely confirm my contention that evolution is metaphysical and evos have few arguments that aren't metaphysical or fallacies.
Argument from authority may be a logical fallacy, but science isn't primarily deductive in nature. Science is inductive, empirical and cumulative. You don't successfully attack science with logic. You add to the accumulation by discovering new stuff. You overturn paradigms by incorporating existing knowledge in more comprehensive paradigms.
Show me where the fossil record illustrates a single celled amoeba grew (through whatever natural selection process you can state) to have eyes, bones, etc. then I'll believe in Darwin. Until then, I'll believe it was God designing us.
Overturning a paradigm is one thing. An 'a priori' assumption, however is not a paradigm and is not reached inductively. It is assumed 'a priori' and overturning an 'a priori' assumption is impossible. That is the problem. Any 'new stuff' is still interpreted in the context of the 'a priori' assumtion, which never changes.
Therefore, while the paradigm may change, the 'a priori' assumption of naturalism does not. Ultimately, a naturalistic model (any model as long as it remains naturalistic) is assured.
Understand?
So give me an example of a problem in science where the assumption of naturalism is not productive.
Bunk, and doubly so due to the great number of people working in science and engineering disciplines who both espouse faith in the Lord and an understanding of what evolutionary theory describes.
That's the opposite of what I am saying. I am saying that there is no "must" when it comes to supernaturally-created biology. It has no constraints. There is no reason to expect biology to operate a certain way given only that it is supernaturally created. That might sound like a strength but in science a catch-all explaination is useless.
Self-replication and imperfect replication are perfectly consistent with a supernaturally-created biology. No requirement for no or perfect reproduction there.
Anything is consistent with a supernaturally-created biology. So no suprise that our particular biology is consistent with it. Support for an explaination occurs when an observation is compatible with it yet needn't have been.
Evolution's purported 'events' occurring thousands, millions or billions of years ago likewise cannot be tested.
Evolution puts forward specific mechanisms which have constraints. It is not compatible with any observations. For example under evolution no modern mammal fossils should be found in cambrian rock formations. That makes it testable.
I do bones, not amoeba. Check with somebody else.
Evolution and the Big Bang.
Evolution didn't predict that life would be based on a complex, specified code independent of the message carrier. That's creation's realm. Evolution long 'predicted' that life was simple, until it was found to be complex. Then evolution was merely re-interpreted to allow complex life.
And whether there is a 'must' in a supernaturally-created biology would depend on what supernatural creation you accept. The only one that meets your requirement for no 'must' is one that must consistenly operate through supernatural effects. That is your error.
Evidence is interpreted to be consistent w/ evolution. Geological formations are dated by the youngest fossils w/ older fossil inclusion being the assumed result of 'fossil reworking'.
It's the only way that evolution can be saved.
Ah, more of the 'appeal to popularity' fallacy.
Is that the only one you use?
"Evolution long 'predicted' that life was simple, until it was found to be complex."
No it didn't. Where do you get this garbage?
What about them?
Evolution never required that life be simple or complex. Supernatural creation also does not require it to be either.
And whether there is a 'must' in a supernaturally-created biology would depend on what supernatural creation you accept. The only one that meets your requirement for no 'must' is one that must consistenly operate through supernatural effects. That is your error.
This only reflects that methodlogical naturalism is the only thing that can generate "musts". When a supernatural creation contains parts that are entirely naturalistic then those parts, and only those parts, are testable. For example biblical creationists try to explain flood geology using naturalism and don't even entertain the idea of supernatural intervention. They don't say the water appeared from nowhere for example, or that Noahs boat and the animals on it were supernaturally protected. No, they try to explain where the water came from and went, and how all the animals survived on the boat using entirely natural explainations. Which is very odd seeing as under their construction of science there is absolutely no reason to do so. They could just say the water appeared supernaturally, or the animals on the Ark were temporarily made immortal and required no food.
Evidence is interpreted to be consistent w/ evolution. Geological formations are dated by the youngest fossils w/ older fossil inclusion being the assumed result of 'fossil reworking'.
I am not aware of even one mammal (or reptile or bird) fossil that was found in cambrian formation and had to be explained away by reworking. If there were even one I am sure a fuss would have been kicked up about it. Also there has to be evidence of reworking before that can be proposed. The cambrian appears void of these animals. That needn't have been the case.
No, you have it backwards. You can never have a younger fossil in a cambrian formation because the formation is defined by the 'youngest' fossils with 'older' fossils being the product of alleged 'reworking'.
By definition, you cannot have a 'younger' fossil in an 'older' formation.
It is merely a defined truth.
And supernatural creations do create 'musts' depending on which supernatural creation you choose. If your supernatural creation requires the earth to be held on the back of a turtle, you 'must' find that to be true.
Simply appealing to supernatural creation in general as being incapable of generating a 'must' is not accurate either, as not generating a 'must' would mean that it 'must' violate natural laws by its existence.
No way to avoid it.
What?
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