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Author Topic:   What is an ID proponent's basis of comparison? (edited)
DevilsAdvocate
Member (Idle past 3129 days)
Posts: 1548
Joined: 06-05-2008


Message 91 of 315 (516568)
07-26-2009 8:42 AM
Reply to: Message 90 by Smooth Operator
07-26-2009 8:10 AM


SO writes:
And how is this evidence for a designer?
Because in the first place all genetic material is evidence for a designer.
Um, this begs the question how do you know all genetic material demands a designer. You have done nothing to answer Percy's question but provide a baseless assertion as your first point. This is called circular reasoning i.e.
Percy: How do you know this is evidence that the car is blue?
SO: Because in the first place all cars are blue.
WTF?!?
SO writes:
Second, this is especially evidence, since it shows that living organisms, at least bacteria could not have evolved without those mechanisms, because they can't mutate without them.
I assume by the term 'mechanism' you are referring to the transposons you mentioned earlier, correct? Or are you referring to other genetic 'mechanisms' as well for inducing genetic mutation? If so what.
If you are saying ransposition is the only method for causing genetic changes you are wrong. I trust this is not what you are saying so if you could elaborate I would appreciate it.
Smooth Operator writes:
And if they can't mutate, they can't evolve.
Mutation is part of the evolutionary process, yes. It is like saying if someone can't walk they can't run very fast. Duh!
Smooth Operator writes:
If they can't evolve, they can't develop those mechanisms.
Um, you lost me. Which mechanisms? You ever heard of genetic frameshifting, single base mutations, insertions, deletions, etc which are not always caused by transposition.
And since everything is supposed to be evolved from one-celled organisms, the path to all other living organisms is effectively blocked.
Wrong. Define the mechanisms you are talking about and then we can continue to debate the problems with your argument.
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : Correct misspelling and quoting errors

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
Dr. Carl Sagan

This message is a reply to:
 Message 90 by Smooth Operator, posted 07-26-2009 8:10 AM Smooth Operator has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 93 by Smooth Operator, posted 07-26-2009 9:34 AM DevilsAdvocate has replied

DevilsAdvocate
Member (Idle past 3129 days)
Posts: 1548
Joined: 06-05-2008


Message 95 of 315 (516606)
07-26-2009 11:39 AM
Reply to: Message 93 by Smooth Operator
07-26-2009 9:34 AM


SO writes:
Myself writes:
Um, this begs the question how do you know all genetic material demands a designer. You have done nothing to answer Percy's question but provide a baseless assertion as your first point. This is called circular reasoning i.e.
Because genetic material is information exhibiting CSI. And CSI is evidence of an intelligence.
I assume you are using Dembski’s term he conjured up out of thin air. Repeating over and over that CSI is evidence for intelligence does not make it so. You must provide evidence.
SO writes:
Myself writes:
I assume by the term 'mechanism' you are referring to the transposons you mentioned earlier, correct? Or are you referring to other genetic 'mechanisms' as well for inducing genetic mutation? If so what.
If you are saying transposition is the only method for causing genetic changes you are wrong. I trust this is not what you are saying so if you could elaborate I would appreciate it.
I already posted a link showing what the LexA protein can do.
This article is talking about the LexA protein controlling the capability of the bacterium to evolve a resistance to the antibiotics ciprofloxacin and rifampic. It is not stating that the bacterium is not able to evolve at all as a result of inhibiting this protein? You are misinterpreting what this article is stating.
Again there are many different varieties of genetic mutations that can occur. This protein is just enables or inhibits the mutation of certain areas of the genome resulting in resistance to certain chemical agents (in this case specific antibiotics).
SO writes:
Myself writes:
Mutation is part of the evolutionary process, yes. It is like saying if someone can't walk they can't run very fast. Duh!
So how have bacteria been supposed to evolve the mutation inducing mechanisms without mutations?
Because these 'mechanisms' aka proteins perform other functions than just enabling or inhibiting genetic mutation (this was the undoing of ID’s irreducible complexity argument) and also these mechanisms do not control all forms of genetic mutations.
SO writes:
Myself writes:
Um, you lost me. Which mechanisms? You ever heard of genetic frameshifting, single base mutations, insertions, deletions, etc which are not always caused by transposition.
The Lexa proteins without which bacteria can't mutate.
BS, you have poor reading comprehension. They are talking about resistance to specific antibiotics not all types of genetic mutations.
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
Dr. Carl Sagan

This message is a reply to:
 Message 93 by Smooth Operator, posted 07-26-2009 9:34 AM Smooth Operator has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 96 by Smooth Operator, posted 07-26-2009 1:13 PM DevilsAdvocate has replied

DevilsAdvocate
Member (Idle past 3129 days)
Posts: 1548
Joined: 06-05-2008


Message 103 of 315 (516640)
07-26-2009 4:01 PM
Reply to: Message 96 by Smooth Operator
07-26-2009 1:13 PM


SO writes:
Actually it was invented by Leslie Orgel, an evolutionist. Anyways...
Not the way Demski uses it. Orgel never used the entire phrase "complex specified information" and his usage of this concept is completely contradictory to how Demski uses it. This is another case where creationists hijack the academic work of real scientists. Anyways...
SO writes:
CSI is reliable measure of information
Says who?
SO writes:
and it is suitable to detect design
Says who?
SO writes:
By complexity I mean a pattern that has a low probability of occurence. The probability should be lower than 1:10^120. Becasue that is the number of bit operations that the observable universe could have performed from it's origin. And there are 10^120 states in about 400 bits.
I assume you got this second hand from Demski referring to Seth Lloyd's 'Computational capacity of the universe' article in which Llyod is allegorically representing the physical universe as a computation device aka a computer and trying to determine the information capacity & computation power the universe entails. In other words this is a metaphore. He even states this:
Dr. Lloyd writes:
In this metaphor we actually have a picture of the computational universe, a metaphor which I hope to make scientifically precise as part of a research program. We have a picture for how complexity arises, because if the universe is computationally capable, maybe we shouldn't be so surprised that things are so entirely out of control.
SO writes:
Next we have to have a specification. That is a patern that the object we are investigating exhibits. But it can't be just any pattern, it has got to be an independently given pattern. Meaning, that the object you are examining should should represent a patternt that already exist and is not producet due to a natural law.
How can you determine that the product is not a result of a natural law? This is to assume that something exists outside of natural law (i.e. supernatural); which by definition you cannot determine using empirical evidence which is itself based on natural laws and the scientific method. You are in a catch-22 situation here with your assertion.
SO writes:
When those both conditions are met, we have design.
Or so you thinkanyways
SO writes:
o when we find 400 bits in nature we are right to infer that they are a product of intelligence, since intelligence is known to produce much higher amounts of information.
What 400 bits in nature? What are you talking about?
SO writes:
It is clear to anyone that this mountain is also complex and specified. It has an independently given pattern. It represents 4 US presidents. So we can without a doubt say that this mountain was designed, without us actually seeing the design in process, or knowing who designed it.
The reason we can determine that it was designed by humans is because we as human beings are indoctrinated on what human-made objects look like both by through observation of other objects designed by humans and through our own trial and error. Besides, it is still subject to the same natural laws for its creation as does other phenomena not created/designed by man. There is nothing magical about this. You see design from a supernatural entity because that is what you want to see you.
How about termite mounds are they intelligently designed by termites?
How about stromatolites, are they intelligently designed by cynobacteria?
How about natural phenomena formed through the wind and water erosion and seismic activity that earily look like human-made objects, this is called :
You are conditioned to see what you want to see. It is called apophenia. Look it up.
Myself writes:
This article is talking about the LexA protein controlling the capability of the bacterium to evolve a resistance to the antibiotics ciprofloxacin and rifampic. It is not stating that the bacterium is not able to evolve at all as a result of inhibiting this protein? You are misinterpreting what this article is stating.
Again there are many different varieties of genetic mutations that can occur. This protein is just enables or inhibits the mutation of certain areas of the genome resulting in resistance to certain chemical agents (in this case specific antibiotics).
SO writes:
Well obviously you misread something.
LOL, is that the best you can come back with? What are you 10 years old?
SO writes:
Well are you not able to extrapolate what that means?
You are no extrapolating you are making shit up out of thin air to back up your preconceived notions.
The point is that to evolve the bacteria needs specific mechanisms.
No, that is not what this article is saying. Now you are deliberately lying. The evolution of this bacteria in this article is only taking into consideration its adaption to resist certain antibiotics not the entire evolutionary history of the bacteria.
SO writes:
The point is that to evolve the bacteria needs specific mechanisms. If it was only up to random mutations, than there would be no reason why bacteria couldn't evolve witout LexA.
It does evolve without LexA. The presence of LeXA just enables mutation in a certain area of the bacterium’s genome which enables it to be resistant to certain types of antibiotics. Stop making shit up.
SO writes:
If by definition mutations were random and couldn't be stopped. This just means that they found specific mechanism for specific region of the genome. It is obvious that this is how the whole of adaptation works. And not by purely random mutations.
No, this is not how adaption/evolution works. How are you defining random mutations. All these protein inhibitors are doing is increasing the mutations in one specific area of the genome. This does not mean that mutations are not occurring elsewhere in the genome.
SO writes:
How did the bacteria evolve those mechanisms, if they need the mechanisms in the first place?
Who is saying that these bacterium need these ‘mechanisms’ to evolve overall? These mechanisms are only needed to evolve resistance to certain types of chemical agents. You really need to study some basic biology and molecular biology before you try to attack scientific concepts you are ignorant of.
SO writes:
This has nothing to do with IC which you misunderstand.
How do you know I misunderstand IC when we have not even discussed it. This statement went over your head so nevermind.
SO writes:
If that is true, why can't bacteria evolve resistance without them?
Sweeping generalization and incorrect one at that. Did this article state that all bacteria require this mechanism to be resistant to all chemical agents much less all antibiotics.
SO writes:
am talking about the specific region of the genome maintained by LexA. The protein can induce all kinds of mutations it want's on that specific region. If there were still random mutations on that specific region without LexA, why can't bacteria evolve resistance without LexA?
We don’t know uncategorically and 100% that they cannot evolve resistance without LexA. It is assumed based on these studies that they can’t at this time. However, given enough time, the bacteria very well may evolve to build resistances without LeXa. If enough mutations occur who knows this may occur, no one knows. Again why would not having this mechanism inhibit the bacterium from evolving in the past since many of these synthetic antibiotics were non-existent until the last half of this century anyways.
Smooth Operator, you are the epitome of someone who has does not have the scientific background necessary to be able to determine true scientific truths from the pseudoscience crap you find on the internet and in creationist/ID propoganda.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
Dr. Carl Sagan

This message is a reply to:
 Message 96 by Smooth Operator, posted 07-26-2009 1:13 PM Smooth Operator has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 107 by traderdrew, posted 07-26-2009 4:29 PM DevilsAdvocate has replied
 Message 109 by Smooth Operator, posted 07-26-2009 4:36 PM DevilsAdvocate has not replied

DevilsAdvocate
Member (Idle past 3129 days)
Posts: 1548
Joined: 06-05-2008


Message 106 of 315 (516645)
07-26-2009 4:15 PM
Reply to: Message 101 by Smooth Operator
07-26-2009 3:58 PM


SO writes:
It's not random if it was induced, by definition. Random mutations have no cause.
All genetic mutations are induced. Some are induced by sources outside the organism and some from within.
Random is not synonomous with having no cause. Random means that the mutation can occur anywhere in a given area of the genome and do not form a predictable pattern. There are many causes for random mutations in the genetic code including inaccurate copying of DNA sequences, biochemical agents (virus, prions, etc), radioactive agents (i.e. UV light)
SO writes:
But the point is that mutations are not happening out of thin air.
There are a multitude of causes for random genetic mutations.
SO writes:
Obviously long enough to conclude they can't get it.
Never say never in science. Science is always spoken in the language or probabilities.
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
Dr. Carl Sagan

This message is a reply to:
 Message 101 by Smooth Operator, posted 07-26-2009 3:58 PM Smooth Operator has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 108 by traderdrew, posted 07-26-2009 4:35 PM DevilsAdvocate has not replied
 Message 110 by Smooth Operator, posted 07-26-2009 4:40 PM DevilsAdvocate has replied

DevilsAdvocate
Member (Idle past 3129 days)
Posts: 1548
Joined: 06-05-2008


Message 111 of 315 (516656)
07-26-2009 4:50 PM
Reply to: Message 107 by traderdrew
07-26-2009 4:29 PM


TJ writes:
CSI is obviously suitable for detecting design.
I love how creationist and IDers just assume if you say something over ad nauseum it makes it true. As Jerry Maguire says "Show me the money!" or in this case the evidence.
TJ writes:
Are you just trying to wear Smooth Operator out?
No, he is making baseless claims. If you make an assertion back it up. Otherwise you bring nothing to the debate. He conducts the same ignorant baseless claims against SR and GR on the physics threads and brings over this same form of irrational bantering to this thread. I don't tollerate it and neither should you.
TJ writes:
When information is arranged in a specific order that addresses a specific function and is designed for a specific use, there is obviously an intelligence behind it.
This is a subjective interpretation of nature. How do you know this?
A natural arch formed by water and wind erosion can have a specific function and use by animals and humans. A cave can as well. Is there an intelligent agent behind the formation of these natural phenomena? There is nothing magical or special about these natural phenomena. We attribute meaning to them precisely because they do seem to conform to our needs and desires. This is in a way a form of anthropocentrism.
TJ writes:
think you can make a case that they are the result of a combination of an intelligent design and weather such as rain erosion.
What does that mean???
TJ writes:
I wouldn't say that they are CSI. They are complex but so are many other things in nature.
You can't even adequately define CSI, how can you expect anyone else to understand WTF you are talking about??
So what is complex and not complex in nature?
TJ writes:
It is chaos.
How are you defining chaos? Chaos means totally unpredictability and randomness. If these phenomena were truely chaotic there would be nothing tangible that you could touch, feel, taste, etc. The termite mound much less anything else would not 'exist' for all intense and purposes of the word.
TJ writes:
If a tree had to grow its way around a structure such as horizontal pole, I would say that is the chaos but not CSI.
So what would constitute CSI and why?
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
Dr. Carl Sagan

This message is a reply to:
 Message 107 by traderdrew, posted 07-26-2009 4:29 PM traderdrew has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 119 by traderdrew, posted 07-27-2009 8:56 AM DevilsAdvocate has replied

DevilsAdvocate
Member (Idle past 3129 days)
Posts: 1548
Joined: 06-05-2008


Message 112 of 315 (516658)
07-26-2009 5:08 PM
Reply to: Message 110 by Smooth Operator
07-26-2009 4:40 PM


SO writes:
Well obviously the have a couse. They follow the laws of nature.
That is not what you said earlier:
SO writes:
Random mutations have no cause
You can't even remember what you said in previous posts. You really are dumbing down your cause.
SO writes:
But by random it means they have no cause inside the organism. If they have a cause inside the organism, than the are not random.
No that is not what the random in random mutations means. Do you understand what the word 'random' means?
Random means it cannot be accurately predicted meaning we cannot accurately predict where genetic mutations will strike next in an organisms genome. Some mutational sources are more random than others. For example mutations cause by UV sources are almost completely random since nearly all portions of the genome are sucesptable to this radiation source and it would be nearly impossible to determine where exactly these point mutations could occur. Whereas, the areas of DNA which are suseptible to viral agents of mutation may be more predictable in there location of occurance.
SO writes:
Who would have thought?
Obviously not you as shown above.
SO writes:
That means you should accept that bacteria can't evolve resistance without LexA for now. Untill someone shows it can.
You have yet to show how this helps your case as I debunked your idea that these genetic mechanisms had to develop for any evolutionary changes to occur.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
Dr. Carl Sagan

This message is a reply to:
 Message 110 by Smooth Operator, posted 07-26-2009 4:40 PM Smooth Operator has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 127 by Smooth Operator, posted 07-27-2009 2:18 PM DevilsAdvocate has not replied

DevilsAdvocate
Member (Idle past 3129 days)
Posts: 1548
Joined: 06-05-2008


Message 139 of 315 (516828)
07-27-2009 4:11 PM
Reply to: Message 119 by traderdrew
07-27-2009 8:56 AM


Traderdrew writes:
It seems to me that you should prove to me that CSI is not suitable for detecting design.
Argument from ignorance/Negative Proof Fallacy. Why should I provide evidence for something you are trying to prove??
First you need to adequately define CSI...
TJ writes:
Or what you can do is prove to us that new amounts of of CSI containing at least 400 bits can be produced by natural causes.
I assume by 400 bits you are talking about DNA? Please elaborate and educate the CSI illiterate masses.
TJ writes:
Me writes:
A natural arch formed by water and wind erosion can have a specific function and use by animals and humans. A cave can as well. Is there an intelligent agent behind the formation of these natural phenomena? There is nothing magical or special about these natural phenomena. We attribute meaning to them precisely because they do seem to conform to our needs and desires. This is in a way a form of anthropocentrism.
Yes but it wasn't necessarily designed by an intelligence. It was designed by the forces within chaos. The cave doesn't produce or communicate any CSI.
Again define CSI. If I showed you two caves that were identical and one was human made and one created by the forces of nature would this not negate your CSI argument?
TJ writes:
The termites build the mound with cooperation. The mound doesn't need to have any particular elucidean shape. Different mounds have different shapes. They don't need to conform to particular mathematical models.
Neither does the morphology and physiology of biological life intrinsically 'need' to fit a certain standard. Biological life much like other natural occurring phenomena is shaped by the environmental conditions in which it exists.
TJ writes:
Forces such as heavy rain can effect the shapes of the mounds.
Forces such as electromagnetic radiation and chemical agents can effect the composition of the genome and ultimately the shapes (morphology) of organisms.
TJ writes:
Me writes:
You can't even adequately define CSI, how can you expect anyone else to understand WTF you are talking about??
With sentences like these I get the impression that you are trying to make us look bad rather than attempting to investigate what CSI is yourself.
I apologize, I just get frustrated when people throw around terms without defining them or understanding them, themselves. When you deal with people like SO and the like, sometimes we mistakenly throw you under the same proverbial bus. It is a human vice which I fall prone to as well.
TJ writes:
Me writes:
So what is complex and not complex in nature?
I'm not sure if I can draw the lines there. I suspect complexity is represented in natural phenomenon with different degrees of fractal dimension.
Agreed but if you cannot make the distinction between chaos and non-chaos are we sure there really is a substantial difference between the two?
TJ writes:
You are making me think.
That is the whole purpose I post on this board, not just for you but for all of us.
TJ writes:
Chaotic things are natural phenomenon that defy traditional linear measurements.
Hmm, did you just make up that definition or where did you draw it from. This is unlike any definition of the word 'chaos' I have seen. What do you mean by linear measurements? Can we not predict to a degree the amount of erosion that will occur in a river on a yearly basis? Is that a 'chaotic thing'? So what specifically falls into your category of 'chaotic things'?
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
Dr. Carl Sagan

This message is a reply to:
 Message 119 by traderdrew, posted 07-27-2009 8:56 AM traderdrew has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 156 by traderdrew, posted 07-28-2009 9:08 AM DevilsAdvocate has not replied

DevilsAdvocate
Member (Idle past 3129 days)
Posts: 1548
Joined: 06-05-2008


Message 226 of 315 (517784)
08-02-2009 3:42 PM
Reply to: Message 224 by traderdrew
08-02-2009 3:27 PM


TJ writes:
You are correct and I was wrong. Although it could raise another point, why would someone decide to leave the outcome of this trial hinging on one person to make?
Because that is how our legal system operates. To question this is to question the integrity of our legal system not just one trial. I am not saying this is not a legitimet question just that it is broader in scope than this one specific trial.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
Dr. Carl Sagan

This message is a reply to:
 Message 224 by traderdrew, posted 08-02-2009 3:27 PM traderdrew has not replied

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