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To: metmom; srweaver
[What is the prototype insect from which all others descended? what is the prototype mammal, from which all others descended?]
...
[[Because that's what science is supposed to be about. That's what you guys claim to have. What? Can't the ToE answer those questions?]]

The theory itself is not capable of making predictions about exactly what organisms would look like at any given time and to expect it to is to completely misunderstand the theory. It's as if one was presented with some basic theory of weather which was well understood and accepted such as:

The sun heats the Earth's surface which causes the heated air to rise and cooler air moves in to replace it. This is the explanation for wind, and because the Earth rotates on its axis from west to east the wind blows predominantly from east to west at the equator. When warm air mixes with cold air, water precipitates out of the atmosphere and causes rain or snow.

Hypothetically, if one were to disbelieve this theory because a revered book leads him to believe that God creates all weather at His whim, he might ask the question "Well if your 'weather theory' is so good, why don't you know what the weather was in New York on January 10th, 1648?"

It's self evident that the theory itself isn't going to provide the answer (though an examination of the historical record plausibly might) and for the same reason, the theory of evolution isn't going to automatically spit out the answers to the questions "What is the prototype insect from which all others descended? and what is the prototype mammal, from which all others descended?" If these specific fossils happened to be found that would be fortunate, but to expect such an occurrence is unrealistic considering just how rare fossil formation really is.
184 posted on 09/18/2006 7:14:47 PM PDT by spinestein (Follow The Brazen Rule!)
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To: spinestein
It's self evident that the theory itself isn't going to provide the answer (though an examination of the historical record plausibly might) and for the same reason, the theory of evolution isn't going to automatically spit out the answers to the questions "What is the prototype insect from which all others descended? and what is the prototype mammal, from which all others descended?" If these specific fossils happened to be found that would be fortunate, but to expect such an occurrence is unrealistic considering just how rare fossil formation really is.

But this is article provides the basis of morality via evolution:

5. Evolution accounts for specific Christian moral precepts. Much of Christian morality has to do with human relationships, most notably truth telling and marital fidelity, because the violation of these principles causes a severe breakdown in trust, which is the foundation of family and community. Evolution describes how we developed into pair-bonded primates and how adultery violates trust. Likewise, truth telling is vital for trust in our society, so lying is a sin.

Do you believe human consciousness ultimately comes from mindlessness?

188 posted on 09/18/2006 7:28:01 PM PDT by Heartlander
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