Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Pres Raygun
If you read the context of his remarks, Behe is simply saying that at one time astrology was a legitimate scientific theory that required testing to validate. That validation failed, but before science made the effort to validate or invalidate astrology it was a legitimate area to investigate. IDers may have jumped the gun by pushing their theory before they have found a way to test it, but I don’t see why at this point in time it is not a legitimate field of inquiry.

I think you're reading into it. Let's go a little bit further in the transcript:

Q But you are clear, under your definition, the definition that sweeps in intelligent design, astrology is also a scientific theory, correct?

A Yes, that’s correct. And let me explain under my definition of the word “theory,” it is — a sense of the word “theory” does not include the theory being true, it means a proposition based on physical evidence to explain some facts by logical inferences. There have been many theories throughout the history of science which looked good at the time which further progress has shown to be incorrect. Nonetheless, we can’t go back and say that because they were incorrect they were not theories. So many many things that we now realized to be incorrect, incorrect theories, are nonetheless theories.

(Once again, bolding mine.)

By the usual definition astrology was not, is not now, and will never be a scientific theory.

I have a few questions for those who believe the Theory of Evolution. How could the TOE be falsified?

That's an easy one. The most commonly mentioned example is the Cambrian rabbit. If we were to find a fossil of a rabbit in Cambrian strata, half a billion years before rabbits appeared, that would be a major problem.

The problem for anti-evolutionists is that every single line of inquiry leads to the same conclusion--descent with modification produced all living organisms. If evolution were not true, we would expect to find all sorts of contradictory data. Phylogenies based upon genetic evidence would be irreconcilable. Anti-evolutionists usually respond to this by saying that God used a common blueprint to make similar organisms, but many similarities cannot be explained in this way. Examples include chromosomal translocations that occur in related species and not others, common gene duplications, and endogenous retrovirus insertions (if God didn't want primates to be able to make vitamin C it would make more sense for him to have not given us that gene instead of inserting a viral DNA sequence into the middle of it to break it).

Note that many intelligent design proponents do believe that common descent is real and that the universe is very old.

What predicitons does the TOE make that are testable?

Many. One was the prediction that we would find a fish that has tetrapod-like traits, and that this fish would be likely to be found in certain strata in Canada. The archaeologists went forth and dug, and found Tiktaalik. Following the discovery of Gogonasus other scientists have predicted new tetrapod finds in Australia, based upon fossil evidence and the distribution of the continents in the Devonian.

I'll join with many scientists and say that following the discovery of dinosaurs with protofeathers and with veined feathers, we will find fossils of dinosaurs with more intermediate feather types. These will most likely be found in the Yixian strata in China because many animals were fossilized here with excellent preservation of details that are usually lost, such as feathers.

Is SETI a legitimate scientific enterprise? Is it possible to detect the existence of intelligent extra-terrestial life through their radio emission?

In my opinion yes, in others' opinions no, but the consensus is that it's likely to be fruitless anyway you cut it.

70 posted on 11/20/2007 12:00:03 PM PST by ahayes ("Impenetrability! That's what I say!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies ]


To: ahayes
>> have a few questions for those who believe the Theory of Evolution. How could the TOE be falsified?

That's an easy one. The most commonly mentioned example is the Cambrian rabbit. If we were to find a fossil of a rabbit in Cambrian strata, half a billion years before rabbits appeared, that would be a major problem the geological layer would be re-dated to something more recent. <<

There, I fixed it for you.
91 posted on 11/20/2007 12:43:21 PM PST by dan1123 (You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. --Jesus)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


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