tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post1665058192655128962..comments2024-01-23T02:32:28.567-08:00Comments on Darwin's God: Research Sheds Light on How the Brain Responds to Stimulus and LearnsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-28839935986944607502011-12-02T00:37:10.096-08:002011-12-02T00:37:10.096-08:00Neal -
"That is a statement of faith."...Neal - <br /><br />"That is a statement of faith."<br /><br />No it isn't. It is a statement of fact. By necessity, non-naturalistic explanations are not scientific. If you do not understand this point then you do not understand what science is.<br /><br />"Besides, what is natural?"<br /><br />In this case, I am specifically referring to things we can show or infer to exist. Gods, ghosts, fairies, unicorns, etc., all fail here because we cannot show them to exist. They are un- / sub- / super- natural. We can try to establish their existence scientifically, but until we have done so and succeeded, then we cannot use them as agents in our scientific explanations.<br /><br />""Science" is defined much more broadly than you suggest,and the pursuit of knowledge should not be straightjacketed by your statement of faith."<br /><br />Science is defined by the search of knowledge THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD, which absolutely necessitates methodological naturalism. If any part of any explanation you are using involves non-naturalistic agents then what you are doing is not science. It's that simple.<br /><br />"Increasing research in genetic sequencing bringing to light phylogenetic conflicts that can be seen everywhere in the supposed universal tree, from its root to the major branchings within and among the various taxa to the makeup of the primary groupings themselves."<br /><br />Such as?Ritchiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03494987782757049380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-2878358415269846642011-12-01T19:03:37.793-08:002011-12-01T19:03:37.793-08:00Ritchie said, "And if your explanation is not...Ritchie said, "And if your explanation is not naturalistic, then it isn't science"<br /><br />--<br /><br />That is a statement of faith. Besides, what is natural? What is more "natural" than the creation of life by a designer? <br /><br />"Science" is defined much more broadly than you suggest,and the pursuit of knowledge should not be straightjacketed by your statement of faith.<br /><br />--<br /><br />You said, "No, all life descended from a common ancestor because their DNA says they do. And because all evidence is consistent with this."<br /><br />--<br />Says? Talking DNA? <br /><br />Unfortunately the details in the DNA betray such a scenario. Increasing research in genetic sequencing bringing to light phylogenetic conflicts that can be seen everywhere in the supposed universal tree, from its root to the major branchings within and among the various taxa to the makeup of the primary groupings themselves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-54473116530475016442011-12-01T15:08:12.051-08:002011-12-01T15:08:12.051-08:00Neal -
"Humans are very good at detecting d...Neal - <br /><br />"Humans are very good at detecting design."<br /><br />Are we?<br /><br />"But, evolutionists reject design by default, not because they have a better argument, but to fulfill their philosophical agenda."<br /><br />No, that is not true. They reject design in biology because there is no naturalistic candidate for the role of designer. And if your explanation is not naturalistic, then it isn't science.<br /><br />It's the ID/Creation crowd (yourself included right here) who are pushing a religious, philosophical agenda by insisting a non-naturalistic explanation be treated as a worthy one by science.<br /><br />"The mountain of evidence that evolutionists claim is bird beak type evidence. Behold the bird beak, therefore all life descended from a common ancestor."<br /><br />No, all life descended from a common ancestor because their DNA says they do. And because all evidence is consistent with this.Ritchiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03494987782757049380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-88103300933999785712011-12-01T14:08:34.270-08:002011-12-01T14:08:34.270-08:00Humans are very good at detecting design. If some...Humans are very good at detecting design. If something looks designed, then it is a reasonable assumption and worth investigating if there is evidence for it. But, evolutionists reject design by default, not because they have a better argument, but to fulfill their philosophical agenda. Saying "evolution did it" is so compelling logically to them that evidence is more of an annoying thing that they must deal with in order to look like they have an intellectual argument rather than a crybaby stealing from the cookie jar argument. <br /><br />The mountain of evidence that evolutionists claim is bird beak type evidence. Behold the bird beak, therefore all life descended from a common ancestor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-41929584775655969982011-11-30T10:09:55.119-08:002011-11-30T10:09:55.119-08:00Sorry, bill4. I'll correct myself.
The point ...Sorry, bill4. I'll correct myself.<br /><br />The point is: It is almost unimaginably complex. Therefore design.<br /><br />As always nothing more than Paley Redux.hrunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09464595016135415412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-38861651515385486352011-11-30T01:31:39.563-08:002011-11-30T01:31:39.563-08:00Ralph
Just about every scientist recognizes that ...Ralph<br /><br />Just about every scientist recognizes that the landscape of knowledge is fractal in nature, and no matter the scale of our knowledge the unknowns will always be equally abundant. For those who love learning it's something to be celebrated. It means that learning will never and can never cease. Even if we answer every possible question that we can think of to ask today, the answers that we find will inevitably raise other questions that we <em>couldn't think to ask</em> because we didn't know enough to know that it was a question worth asking.<br /><br />For those who love just knowing, though, it's something to be feared. It means that we'll never know everything. <em>Never.</em> Learning is, for them, a damnable thing because the more you learn the more you come to know just how much you don't know. Learning itself becomes a sisyphean endeavor, futile and eternally doomed to failure. Who cares what we <em>do</em> know if we still <em>don't</em> know what we <em>didn't</em> know before?<br /><br />I for one prefer to know what I can today, even if that means being more acutely aware of my own ignorance. I'd rather answer a question with "I don't know, but I'll try to find out," than with "Some guy did it and that's good enough for me."Venture Freehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17667967894208257738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-86572187244406452392011-11-29T17:28:56.565-08:002011-11-29T17:28:56.565-08:00Ralph Westfall -
I think you're talking tota...Ralph Westfall - <br /><br />I think you're talking total nonsense. I don't believe there was ever a time when scientists sincerely believed the Answer to Everything was just around the corner. That goes fundamentally against everything science is. Far from revealing The One And Only Answer, Now We Can All Go Home, scientific theories should lead to MORE questions, not fewer. More research, more mysteries to solve, more work to do. That is the way of science.<br /><br />Quite why you think things being complicated is a devastating blow for scientists, I really can't guess. Of course no-one realised how complicated things were until they found out. That's always true of everything. Things are always more complicated than you realise. Because until you find out, then you have no idea how complicated they are! Seems a thoroughly silly argument to me.Ritchiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03494987782757049380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-11345628735294081632011-11-29T17:19:42.586-08:002011-11-29T17:19:42.586-08:00bill4 -
"No, it is "almost unimaginabl...bill4 - <br /><br />"No, it is "almost unimaginably" complex. therefore design is the *best* explanation presently."<br /><br />The grand canyon is almost unimaginably complex if you are willing to consider every crack, facet and alcove which makes it up. Does this give us reason to suppose it was designed and deliberately created?<br /><br />Besides, there is no supporting evidence for the design hypothesis. And with no evidence, there it is just a blind guess - no better than the practically infinite number of blind guesses we could make. It is far from being a 'best explanation'.Ritchiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03494987782757049380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-452393813173984912011-11-29T15:23:29.900-08:002011-11-29T15:23:29.900-08:00It must be awfully frustrating for many of you. Wa...It must be awfully frustrating for many of you. Watson and Crick discovered the structure of DNA way back in 1953, long before most of you were born. Ditto for the Miller Urey experiments back in 1952.<br /><br />Ah yes, those were heady days. Almost everyone thought that scientific progress would abolish all the mysteries. Hardly anyone dreamed that the advance of science would instead reveal that things were way more complicated than anyone realized. Or that science was shooting at a moving target that, like the universe, keeps expanding so that the goals are getting farther and farther away.<br /><br />Perhaps the myth of Sisyphus was a prophetic metaphor?<br /><br />Ralph David WestfallRalph Westfallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09440240584333478386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-72000661726843053602011-11-29T14:13:21.386-08:002011-11-29T14:13:21.386-08:00"It is complex. Therefore design."
No, ..."It is complex. Therefore design."<br /><br />No, it is "almost unimaginably" complex. therefore design is the *best* explanation presently. Particularly what he know about how *systems* work. But go ahead and knock yourself trying to demonstrate it evolved via blind mechanisms. I'll be waiting. (yawn)bill4https://www.blogger.com/profile/03374640194146056479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-32668956268706023052011-11-29T11:27:29.658-08:002011-11-29T11:27:29.658-08:00Every time we've observed something being crea...Every time we've observed something being created, that something was designed by intelligent agents that exhibit intent. Therefore, all complex things were designed by intelligent agents that exhibit intent. <br /><br />Yet… I can't shake the feeling that there is something horribly wrong with this line of thinking, and there is something I recently read that would shed some light on the problem. <br /><br />Ah yes. Now I remember. <br /><br />Every time we've observed intelligence and intent, it's also been accompanied by one of these wonderfully complex nervous systems that Cornelius just outlined; which consists of a "massive array of molecular switches and controls. And extremely complex things, like computers, are always accompanied by the human brain, which depends on 12,000 segments of DNA just to respond to environmental stimuli alone. <br /> <br />Should we follow the same logic as above, it seems we should also conclude that all intelligence and intent requires one of these very same complex material nervous systems. After all, that's what we observer, each and every time, right?<br /><br />Otherwise, it would seem that you're not actually using this particular means of justifying conclusions, you just *think* you are.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11193595678064010528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-77320906920284299472011-11-29T11:01:32.934-08:002011-11-29T11:01:32.934-08:00Praise the Lord!
Coming next: bornagain77 with a ...Praise the Lord!<br /><br />Coming next: bornagain77 with a "semi-OT" copypasta and some links to cheesy YouTube videos.Geoxushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00480560335679211508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-72933319768299687322011-11-29T10:19:49.230-08:002011-11-29T10:19:49.230-08:00Wow, the brain really is unimaginably complex. So...Wow, the brain really is unimaginably complex. So complex in fact, that I simply cannot believe it was not designed. Therefore, I conclude that it was designed.<br /><br />Hey, look at me, I'm an ID theorist! Who knew it could be so easy!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10538070410910465649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-25078972744612172072011-11-29T10:16:35.850-08:002011-11-29T10:16:35.850-08:00The point is: It is complex. Therefore design.
As...The point is: It is complex. Therefore design.<br /><br />As always nothing more than Paley Redux.hrunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09464595016135415412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3855268335402896473.post-91429115947609675462011-11-29T09:47:45.431-08:002011-11-29T09:47:45.431-08:00I think I'm missing the point.
Was this post ...I think I'm missing the point.<br /><br />Was this post just to point to a research study which in no way undermines the credibility of ToE whatsoever?Ritchiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03494987782757049380noreply@blogger.com