Utunumsint
Posts: 103 Joined: Jan. 2010
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Quote (Doc Bill @ Feb. 03 2010,17:59) | Darn, Ut, my truncheons are out being cleaned. Report here Monday for your beating.
A couple of things. First, regarding "speculation." Creationists are fond of saying scientists "merely speculate" about origin of life chemistry. This is speculation: I think Denver will win the Super Bowl in 2011 because I like Colorado and the word "bronco" is cool. That is mere speculation. Based on nothing but an idea pulled out of my ass.
Origin of life chemistry is an entirely different level based on years of study, thermodynamic and kinetics calculations and experiments, observation and much deliberation. It's not "mere speculation." It's a plausible, supportable chain of events.
Second, dog breeding and intelligent design. Dog breeding is evolution at work. Artificial selection is an artificial term that only means that a human being provided the selection rather than Mother Nature. Technically, what is the difference? If humans select dogs with thick coats because they are pretty or Nature selects dogs with thick coats because it helps them survive cold conditions, what's the difference? Selection is selection.
Humans are not manipulating the dog's genes, not determining which point mutations occur or not and where or not. It's just selection.
Now, jump to "intelligent design" designing DNA. It's not just the DNA, but EVERYTHING in the cell that has to be designed. The membranes, the transport mechanisms, reproduction mechanisms, all the chemistry and equilibria, all the bits and pieces that work in concert with DNA. It's not just the DNA, it's EVERYTHING.
Finally, a bit of sleight of hand. How long did life percolate in that "primordial soup" before multicellular organisms took off? Let's see, using the Cambrian Explosion as a convenient marker, our lineage, the vertebrates have been going for about 500 million years, give or take.
Percolation, using very rough terms, went on for about 3000 million years.
Think about that, Ut, 3000 million years is a long time for mechanisms to be built up step by step, reaction by reaction, component by component, structure by structure.
"Intelligent design" proponents would have you believe that the Designer came along, built the cell, DNA, structures and all that stuff, then TOOK A 3000 MILLION YEAR HOLIDAY, then came back to give it a little nudge.
Seriously? Who's speculating, Ut? |
I see what you're saying Doc. From a theological perspective (if anyone cares about theology around here) I find evolution much more awe inspiring than a God who has to fix his creation every five seconds. :)
Cheers, Ut
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