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Listen Now. On this episode of ID The Future, hear excerpts from a recent Socrates in the City event in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Stephen Meyer, director of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science & Culture, answers the question...

It was an excellent debate, with both participants offering important insights and good arguments, though in my opinion Meyer unquestionably had the better of it. Casey Luskin http://www.discovery.org/p/188

The program, heard nationally by three to four million listeners, will air live from noon to 3 pm. Evolution News & Views

Critics of intelligent design keep saying it isn't science. Explain that to the many scientists who routinely use ID principles in their work. Evolution News & Views

Removing the extraneous material also has the advantage of highlighting the most glaringly muddle-headed portions of Darwin's thinking. Michael Flannery http://www.discovery.org/p/471

At a street corner regarded as hazardous for pedestrians, our Seattle-area suburban town has thoughtfully provided orange traffic flags. David Klinghoffer http://www.discovery.org/p/209

Stephen Meyer recently debated UC Berkeley paleontologist Charles Marshall on the Cambrian explosion and Dr. Meyer's book Darwin's Doubt. David Klinghoffer http://www.discovery.org/p/209

Just as humans are merely one accidentally evolved animal among many, our universe is simply one accidentally evolved universe among many. Denyse O'Leary

Post by Bob O'H
Quote (timothya @ Dec. 04 2013,01:09)StephenB:
      Quote Can Jupiter exist and not exist at the same time as an ontological reality?
I fell about laughing when I read this beauty. Any number of commenters have pointed out that the Law of Noncontradiction relies for its application on the categories in question having definite boundaries. So what example does this pompous windbag decide to use? A gas-planet that has no defined physical boundary.

I can observe Jupiter from a great distance and be certain I am not "on Jupiter". But if I approach Jupiter, at what point can I say I am on its surface? Pretty obviously, there is no such point - all the way to the centre of the planet!

Evidently, Jupiter can simultaneously exist and not exist as an ontological reality. What a hoot.
I think you need to modify that. Yes, Jupiter does exist: the problematic statement would be "is Jupiter part of this bit of space?".

I don't know enough about the semantics of fuzzy logic to know if a truth value of 0.5 can be said to simultaneously have truth values of 1 and 0.

Post by George
Quote (GaryGaulin @ Dec. 01 2013,02:17)Science journals are for lab papers, not for getting code published online in a community of science minded programmers for that language. Thinking that the Theory of Intelligent Design has to first be published in a major journal is an unrealistic expectation from an academia that assumed such a thing would have to come from a biology lab, which led to not planning for the possibility it would become needed in software for explaining the basics of how intelligence and intelligent cause/causation works.
Hey Gary.  Why don't you try publishing in Methods in Ecology and Evolution?  According to the scope of the journal:
Quote Methods in Ecology and Evolution (MEE) promotes the development of new methods in ecology and evolution, and facilitates their dissemination and uptake by the research community. MEE brings together papers from previously disparate sub-disciplines to provide a single forum for tracking methodological developments in all areas.

MEE publishes methodological papers in any area of ecology and evolution, including:
   • Phylogenetic analysis
   • Statistical methods
   • Conservation & management
   • Theoretical methods
   • Practical methods, including lab and field
This list is not exhaustive, and we welcome enquiries about possible submissions. Methods are defined in the widest terms and may be analytical, practical or conceptual.

You can even put the code in an archive for all eternity.  Imagine!  Immortality!  And publishing there is free, unless you want the paper to be Open Access.  At worst, you'll get a pdf of the published paper that you can  circulate to the movers and shakers in the Real Science world.

Post by timothya
StephenB:
    Quote Can Jupiter exist and not exist at the same time as an ontological reality?
I fell about laughing when I read this beauty. Any number of commenters have pointed out that the Law of Noncontradiction relies for its application on the categories in question having definite boundaries. So what example does this pompous windbag decide to use? A gas-planet that has no defined physical boundary.

I can observe Jupiter from a great distance and be certain I am not "on Jupiter". But if I approach Jupiter, at what point can I say I am on its surface? Pretty obviously, there is no such point - all the way to the centre of the planet!

Evidently, Jupiter can simultaneously exist and not exist as an ontological reality. What a hoot.

Post by Driver
Also, an octopus can type four times faster than a human.

Post by Driver
Quote (Henry J @ Dec. 04 2013,03:27)Of course, an octopus would probably write with ink rather than typing what it wanted to say.
An octopus with Neurosyphilis might forget it could do the ink thing. It might even forget it was an octopus. It might think it was an oppressed scientist with a theory of intelligent cause.

Post by sparc
must be Friday already

Post by Henry J
Of course, an octopus would probably write with ink rather than typing what it wanted to say.

Post by Henry J
Quote Can a proposition be true and false at the same time and in the same sense?

Is quantum mechanics involved?

Or more seriously: is fuzzy logic involved?

Henry

Post by stevestory
Quote (Driver @ Dec. 03 2013,19:04) Quote (GaryGaulin @ Dec. 03 2013,09:52)Your opinion?
Our opinion is not likely to change. We still think a syphillitic octopus would write less gibberish.
Octopus with secondary stage syphilis, Octopus.
Octopus with tertiary syphilis, Probably Gary.

Post by Driver
Quote (GaryGaulin @ Dec. 03 2013,09:52)Your opinion?
Our opinion is not likely to change. We still think a syphillitic octopus would write less gibberish.

Post by Quack
Quote (N.Wells @ Dec. 03 2013,12:38)   Quote
by this-way [sic] explaining your dilemma that for-real [sic] has you on the wrong side of science right now.  No, I know what science is, and you very clearly are clueless about it.  See Noname's excellent recent critiques of your stuff for details.
NoName's comments are outstanding. But they don't seem to mean anything to Gary. I don't think he wants to know but just ramble on as always.

There are two competing paradigms about Neanderthal capabilities and culture. The first considers Neanderthals to be cognitively inflexible, with a limited use of technologies that was unresponsive to environmental change. The second recognises a much wider range of behaviours and technologies, with adaptation to specific local conditions. The paper considered in this blog belongs to the second of these perspectives: the reported work considers artefacts from a cave that was occupied by Neanderthals and dated about 90,000 years ago.

"Here, we present evidence for behavioral variability and complexity among Neanderthals at the beginning of Marine Isotope Stage 4 (MIS 4) at the Abri du Maras located above the Ardeche River in southern France. Using residue analysis of stone tools with supporting evidence from zooarchaeology, we show that Neanderthals at the Abri du Maras had a detailed knowledge of their surrounding environment, captured fast and agile prey (rabbits, fish and birds), exploited a range of plant species, and used composite technology such as hafted stone points and the manufacture of string and cordage. Overall, we present evidence which demonstrates that Neanderthals at the Abri du Maras were far from inefficient foragers." (p.24)

Not just a pretty face (Image: Nikola Solic/Reuters, source here))

Many flake stone tools have been recovered. Microscopic examination of their surfaces has revealed a remarkable variety of traces providing clues about Neanderthal capabilities and lifestyle. The most noteworthy relates to tiny fragments of twisted plant fibres. This is considered to be evidence for human activity: gathering plant material, retting or shredding to extract fibres, twisting to create threads or string, and cutting a length with the stone tools.

"These fibers are not twisted in their natural state which suggests that they were twisted by the inhabitants of the Abri du Maras and may therefore provide evidence of the manufacture of string or cordage. In previous woodworking experiments involving incising, planning, whittling, scraping, and boring, no twisted fibers were observed. Unpublished experiments conducted by BH involving the scraping, cutting, and slicing of a variety of nonwoody plants (roots, tubers, reeds, etc.) also produced no twisted fibers such as those observed here. While not definitive, the lack of twisted fibers in these experiments lends some credence to the hypothesis that these derive from cordage. Future experiments involving cordage and plant processing will help clarify the potential sources of twisted fiber." (p.27,29)

Circumstantial evidence is provided by observations of micro-wear of flake tools that show indications of being hafted to produce stone-tipped javelins. Other uses for string can be inferred because there is evidence at this site that Neanderthals went fishing and at other sites that they crossed open water in boats.

"Since macroscopic remains have not been found prior to 19 ka, it is important to examine other less direct forms of evidence where fiber or string production may leave traces on a microscopic level which may be visible through use-wear and residue analyses. For most of the Paleolithic, the best potential source of evidence for cordage is stone tools. Hurcombe (1998) describes several different points in the chaine operatoire of fiber production where stone tools are likely to be used, including plant harvesting, processing of fibers, and cutting loose ends from cordage.
The production of string along with simple knowledge of knotting, weaving, and looping, make possible a wide range of products including "nets, containers, packaging, baskets, carrying devices, ties, straps, harness, clothes, shoes, beds, bedding, mats, flooring, roofing and walling". In addition, string facilitates the construction of complex, multi-component technologies such as hafts or snares. Finally, string would have been essential for seafaring, maritime technologies used for the colonization of islands, and for many types of fishing." (p.34)

We cannot consider all the evidences discussed by the authors. However, they make an interesting comment on how expectations (influenced by presuppositions) affect research programmes.

"Paleolithic archaeologists have a tendency to focus heavily on reconstructing subsistence activities. Within subsistence, the focus is primarily on animals with even more narrow focus on large animals, partly because their remains preserve better. This focus is justified to some extent as archeologists can only work with the evidence they find. However, this means we are missing a huge component of everyday life. The preservation bias of the archaeological record limits the avenues being investigated. The fiber evidence presented here is a reminder that if we don?t look for it, we won?t find it." (p.35)

We shall pass over much interesting discussion of evidences and reach their conclusion. The authors have used their detective skills to reconstruct a community of Neanderthals that appears to be indistinguishable from modern humans.

"The Abri du Maras overlooks the Ardeche River in south-eastern France. The combination of analyses presented here (mainly residue analysis) has provided a more detailed view into Neanderthal lives than is generally possible. Neanderthals at the Abri du Maras caught and consumed a wide variety of foods, from large herbivores to rabbits, fish, plants, and possibly birds. The occupants of the Abri du Maras may have also been engaged in a variety of other activities: gathering mushrooms, gathering raw materials and manufacturing string, woodworking, constructing composite technologies such as complex projectiles and possibly nets or traps. Given the wide variety of resources exploited at the Abri du Maras, we should heed Hockett's recent caution that we may have "under-appreciated the amount of non-mammal foods eaten by Neanderthals". We would add that the high diversity of resources used by Neanderthals has been generally under-appreciated for decades." (p.38)

This fascinating insight into community life is worthy of our attention because the group members were Neanderthals. For too long, they have been portrayed as pre-human and have been used to buttress evolutionary stories about the origins of mankind. However, archaeological evidence discussed here (and here) suggests that these stories are embellished with evolutionary spin. The evidence shows that Neanderthals are human cousins and deserve quite a different place in history. Unfortunately, this truth about Neanderthals has been missed in the past because the presumption of evolutionary transformation has constrained the minds of researchers. They illustrate the maxim: "if we don't look for it, we won't find it."

Impossible Neanderthals? Making string, throwing projectiles and catching small game during Marine Isotope Stage 4 (Abri du Maras, France)
Bruce L. Hardy, Marie-Helene Moncel, Camille Daujeard, Paul Fernandes, Philippe Bearez, Emmanuel Desclaux, Maria Gema Chacon Navarro, Simon Puaud, Rosalia Gallotti
Quaternary Science Reviews, Volume 82, 15 December 2013, Pages 23?40

Abstract: Neanderthal behavior is often described in one of two contradictory ways: 1) Neanderthals were behaviorally inflexible and specialized in large game hunting or 2) Neanderthals exhibited a wide range of behaviors and exploited a wide range of resources including plants and small, fast game. Using stone tool residue analysis with supporting information from zooarchaeology, we provide evidence that at the Abri du Maras, Ardeche, France, Neanderthals were behaviorally flexible at the beginning of MIS 4. Here, Neanderthals exploited a wide range of resources including large mammals, fish, ducks, raptors, rabbits, mushrooms, plants, and wood. Twisted fibers on stone tools provide evidence of making string or cordage. Using a variety of lines of evidence, we show the presence of stone projectile tips, possibly used in complex projectile technology. This evidence shows a level of behavioral variability that is often denied to Neanderthals. Furthermore, it sheds light on perishable materials and resources that are not often recovered which should be considered more fully in reconstructions of Neanderthal behavior.