Thoughts on Evolution

[Mrs.Jordan]

I am a firm believer of Evolution. I also believe that Evolution and "Intelligent Design" can co-exist. Although I do not find as much evidence for creationism as I do for the other. I would like to know if anybody had some intellectual thoughts on evidence of evolution.

[Mr Skeptic]

There is a type of design called "evolutionary algorithm" or "genetic algorithm". These are used when you don't know and don't care how to make the design yourself; the result is frequently incomprehensible but works. For life to have been intelligently designed via an evolutionary algorithm, would require that some intelligent being created the rules for natural selection, aka the laws of physics.

[ydoaPs]

For life to have been intelligently designed via an evolutionary algorithm, would require that some intelligent being created the rules for natural selection, aka the laws of physics.

 

Quite a leap of logic there.

[Phi for All]

I am a firm believer of Evolution. I also believe that Evolution and "Intelligent Design" can co-exist. Although I do not find as much evidence for creationism as I do for the other. I would like to know if anybody had some intellectual thoughts on evidence of evolution.

Evolution uses the scientific method to observe, evaluate, experiment and predict testable, repeatable phenomena. Intelligent design relies on a supernatural designer at the heart of things. They can't really co-exist; ID is basically religion, and since God can't be observed, tested or predicted with any reliability, science is the wrong instrument for measuring Him.

 

Science is for measuring the physical, natural world. Religion is for the supernatural. They can co-exist, and do quite well until creationists try to use science via Intelligent Design to refute evolution, or when scientists try to use science to disprove God. Science can be used to refute claims that certain phenomena are evidence of the supernatural, but it can't be used to disprove something that refuses to be analyzed.

 

Imo, if creationists could simply allow that the world might be as old science tells us it is, admit that a literal Bible forces many believers into a paradox and stop believing that their god is purposely deceitful by divinely planting all the evidence we see before us, they might see that their god is even more awesome by being patient enough to wait billions of years for It's creations to reach the point they are at now. Again imo, that would be more divine than instantaneous creation. Many religions embrace evolution in this way, including the largest segment of Christianity.

 

Sorry, I didn't want this to become a religious discussion. Since I am involved, another Moderator can delete that last part if necessary.

[Mokele]

The evidence is simple - we're directly observed evolution, ranging from minor adaptation to the origins of new species and major phenotypic change. We've actually gotten to the point that reporting the direct observation of one species arising from another is considered uninteresting.

[Mr Skeptic]

Quite a leap of logic there.

 

You mean, "hefty requirement". Unless you saw something wrong with my logic?

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Merged post follows:

Consecutive posts merged

As Phi for All says, they are not mutually exclusive (which I gave an example of), but their co-existence would be at best strained.

[Phi for All]

I reread the OP and I think the key is here:

Although I do not find as much evidence for creationism as I do for [evolution].

Creationism and Intelligent Design have no evidence that can stand up to scientific scrutiny. None, absolutely none whatsoever. Eventually some form of omniscience or omnipotence is used by creationism as a substitute for logical argument, and then the discussion is ended.

 

Evolution has literally millions of examples of evidence that make it a strong, solid scientific theory. And science is willing to adapt the theory when evidence proves that it's necessary. Intelligent Design is rigid, inflexible and completely falls back to simple religion when it's misinformation is debunked.

 

Science can't be used on the supernatural. Period. It's like measuring the height of a tree by using a good story. Wrong tool.

 

Edit: Right here is a good post we used to have stickied in Evolution, Morphology and Exobiology but it attracted too many creationists (who got it Googling but never bothered to actually read it) and was removed. It's still over in Speculations and Pseudoscience though. It gives some very good points on evolution and it's evidence, without burying the reader under the literal mounds available.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Phi for All

[Sione]

For life to have been intelligently designed via an evolutionary algorithm' date=' would require that some intelligent being created the rules for natural selection, aka the laws of physics.

[/quote']

 

Mr Skeptic is of course right here and who does not agree should pay attention!

 

As we all can witness our 'evolutionary algorithm' is built-in into the laws of physics and the only question is whether laws of physics occurred spontaneously or were created by some intelligent creature.

 

 

Anyone should be able to deduce that ultimately any creator or god, if there was/is any, must have emerged spontaneously at some point. The logic forbids us to even assume the existence of the God.

 

Sure, if some aliens planted life on Earth, than they would be your Gods, but they themselves must have emerged spontaneously sometime. Of course, if they claim to be created by some even superior God, then that God as well must have emerged spontaneously at some point, and so on. By definition it is not God if it was created, only if it emerged by itself. And if some God can emerge spontaneously, then why could not a tree or human?

 

 

God is not an answer to any question, it is just moving a question one inch further so silly humans could be manipulated by religion. Whoever believes in Bible is crazy and will go to hell. Lucifer is a good guy on this planet. Luckily for them Lucifer is much nicer person than God, so they will not burn for the whole eternity.

 

 

Even the definition of God prohibits it to be some singular entity, with it's properties God = Universe. We do not know much about universe and automatically we can not know much about any gods. Unfortunately we should be more able to see through simplicity of personification and metaphors, how else can you judge a fairy tale from religious FACT?

 

 

God is evil, viva Lucifer, the Bringer of Light! Viva Las Vegas...

Edited January 25, 2009 by Sione