RE: Nature
February 18, 2012 at 1:41 am
(This post was last modified: February 18, 2012 at 1:47 am by brotherlylove.)
(February 17, 2012 at 5:08 am)KichigaiNeko Wrote: Further his argument from evolution shows a complete LACK of understanding of the subject both contemporary and historically
(February 17, 2012 at 4:38 am)Forsaken Wrote: I ask @brotherlylove to actually pick up a book on evolution written by a biologist (it can be any), understand what evolution really is and then start arguing against it. The purpose of this exercise is not to make you believe in it, just asking you to fully understand the subject you are arguing against.
Evolution is much more than transition within or between species; which is the only thing you creationist "know" about evolution. Arguing against something which you have absolutely no knowledge about makes you nothing more than a silly, puny human being.
You two could demonstrate that you know what evolution actually is and provide a refutation to my arguments.
(February 17, 2012 at 8:02 am)Darwinian Wrote: Amazing how science is constantly moving forward and discovering new things which overturn old theories. We must never fall in love with our theories and when new evidence comes to light we must be prepared modify or even completely disregard them, but, we will have learnt something in the process.
What do you think about this quote from Max Planck?
“A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it. ”
(February 17, 2012 at 8:02 am)Darwinian Wrote: No it doesn't. No-one knows what happened before the big bang or even if there was 'a before' so to state that the universe was created out of nothing is simply a belief with zero evidence to back it up.
The evidence points to an absolute beginning of the Universe. Either something came from nothing or something eternal caused it.
(February 17, 2012 at 8:02 am)Darwinian Wrote: The universe is, as you say, balanced precisely to allow life and consciousness because if it were not then we would not be here to ponder the question in the first place.
It would be absurd to postulate a universe where the constants are such that life could never evolve with beings in that universe asking themselves the same question.
So, the very fact that we are here discussing this must mean that this universe is compatible with life.
Douglas Adams puddle springs to mind.
If you were to be executed by a firing squad of 100 highly trained marksman, and when the moment of truth came and the shots were fired, you found yourself still alive and without a scratch..you should not be surprised that you do not observe you are dead, but it is equally true that you should be surprised that you observe that you are alive.
The improbability of it makes the surprise totally appropiate. In the same way, although we should not be suprised that we observe that the Universe is not incompatible with our existence, we should be surprised that we observe features of the Universe which are compatible with it, due to the enormous improbability of it.
(February 17, 2012 at 4:46 am)Zen Badger Wrote: He needs to understand that the real issue is not evolution but the age of the universe. That is what really fucks his fairytale.
Actually, this is mutual; evolution cannot be true if the Earth is not old. Here is some evidence for a young earth:
http://evolutionfacts.com/Evolution-handbook/E-H-4a.htm
(February 17, 2012 at 7:00 pm)Justtristo Wrote: Back when the Origin of the Species was published a Charles Darwin's hypothesis had not been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt. However later scientific discoveries such as DNA helped to prove his hypothesis beyond the shadow of a doubt.
The evidence from DNA studies of all life alone proves evolution by natural selection to be a fact. Because those DNA studies show that all life on earth is descended from a common ancestor. Likewise it shows that humans are Primates and most closely related to Chimpanzees.
I would highly recommend reading either The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins and Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne that explain how Darwin's hypothesis broadly has been proven through various scientific discoveries in the past 150 years.
The evidence from DNA is not proof of a common descent. The similarities you find are just as much an evidence of a common designer as a common ancestry. You also have to consider the differences. Homologous structures appear outside of the expected evolutionary tree quite often, and we ourselves share similarities with octopus, cockroaches, chickens etc. We see the DNA being more in a mosaic pattern, which is evidence for design. Here is a good article on it:
http://crevo.blogspot.com/2005/03/some-c...ology.html
(February 17, 2012 at 10:40 pm)Thorham Wrote: Which is an outdated viewpoint that's no longer supported in astrophysics, simply because it doesn't work (also, the singularity from which the big bang would've come isn't exactly nothing). You can't make something out of nothing, so something has always been there (something, someone, or both, who's to say?).
I agree, that there must be an eternal first cause. Since time, space matter and energy had a beginning, it means the cause is timeless, spaceless, unimaginably powerful and transcendent. It also implies a personal cause because if the cause is eternal, the effect should also be eternal. Because it is temporal it points to agent causation.
Psalm 19:1-2
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.