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Author Topic:   Does teaching of evolution cause social decay?
coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 499 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 111 of 137 (106224)
05-07-2004 6:00 AM
Reply to: Message 110 by almeyda
05-07-2004 5:35 AM


Re: Cranky mode
Warning: Fallacy of appeal to unqualified authority detected!
Dr John Baumgardner- What does electrical engineering has to do with biological evolution?
Donald Chittick, Ph.D- Again, chemistry is closer but it still doesn't give him the authority to speak on biological evolution. However, it is absolutely all right for him to share his opinion on the matter.
Dr Donald DeYoung- Physics and math doesn't give him the authority on biological evolution.
Dr Terry Mortenson- History is hardly a qualification for being an authority figure in biological evolution.
Dr Monty White- Again, chemistry is close to biology, but not close enough.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The following scientists are the ones that are qualified to represent as authority figures in this matter.
Dr David DeWitt- biochemistry
Dr David Menton- cell biology
Dr Gary Parker- biology/geology
Dr David Catchpoole- physiology
I don't know enough about their backgrounds to comment on anything. However, just because there are some to a few scientists that happen to disagree with mainstream science doesn't mean they've disproven the theory of evolution. Just think of it this way. There are some religious people that believe in biological evolution. Does this mean that the rest of you should start believing in evolution? I would guess no.
Between my biology professors and these scientists, I will trust my biology professors more for now.
By the way, those books that these guys published just made it to my summer reading list.

The Laminator

This message is a reply to:
 Message 110 by almeyda, posted 05-07-2004 5:35 AM almeyda has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 113 by almeyda, posted 05-07-2004 6:13 AM coffee_addict has replied

  
coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 499 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 112 of 137 (106226)
05-07-2004 6:12 AM
Reply to: Message 109 by gaurdian_angel
05-07-2004 5:17 AM


Re: Many (most?) creationists can't deal with
First of all, I'd like to point out that for an angel you are quite horrific with your grammars.
gaurdian_angel writes:
shouldnt we be upfront with what we say or believe things should be balck or white, hot or cold u cannot be in the middle
Just take a white crayon and a black crayon and color them together. Voila! You have gray.
Admitting your ignorance of certain matter and natural phenomena is the first step toward wisdom. There's an old Vietnamese proverb: when a fool talks, he is always right, because no reasonable person can tell him otherwise.
if you are in the middle u have no basis for an agruement becuase you will not be able to stand your ground ,evrything to me is goin to be yes or no becuase i am upfront i guess you aint by that statement you have just made.
Um... the middle ground is not where many of us fall. I'm not a religious evolutionist and I know at least 6 other people here that are the same way.
However, if you are refering to the uncertainty of scientific theories, you picked the wrong ground to fight on.
i therefore support the theory that evolution cause decay in todays society ...
becuase ppl who are evoluitonsit do not have any strong evidence on nothing at all
and its all man made with no higher power who impossed on it
heaven or hell dats da choice god gives us those can decide to take it or leave todays society is leavingheaven and sendin our future children straight to hell due to drugs free sex gayness complete immorality
I could have sworn Australians speak and write English fluently.

The Laminator

This message is a reply to:
 Message 109 by gaurdian_angel, posted 05-07-2004 5:17 AM gaurdian_angel has not replied

  
almeyda
Inactive Member


Message 113 of 137 (106227)
05-07-2004 6:13 AM
Reply to: Message 111 by coffee_addict
05-07-2004 6:00 AM


Re: Cranky mode
Thanks for the correction. As for the disproving of Evolution of course not!. Just because a scientist believes in Creation doesnt mean he is right and Evolution is wrong. But what Evolutionists need to understand is that Creationists are also scientists just working with a different ideology. Once we get to this stage is when we can start debating appropriately. How can a scientist debate another scientist when the Evolutionist does not even acknowledge his opponent in his scientific pursuit for truth?. We are in a debate of the science of one religion vs the science of the other.
This message has been edited by almeyda, 05-07-2004 05:14 AM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 111 by coffee_addict, posted 05-07-2004 6:00 AM coffee_addict has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 114 by coffee_addict, posted 05-07-2004 6:45 AM almeyda has replied
 Message 116 by JonF, posted 05-07-2004 10:29 AM almeyda has not replied

  
coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 499 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 114 of 137 (106228)
05-07-2004 6:45 AM
Reply to: Message 113 by almeyda
05-07-2004 6:13 AM


Re: Cranky mode
almeyda writes:
Thanks for the correction. As for the disproving of Evolution of course not!. Just because a scientist believes in Creation doesnt mean he is right and Evolution is wrong. But what Evolutionists need to understand is that Creationists are also scientists just working with a different ideology. Once we get to this stage is when we can start debating appropriately. How can a scientist debate another scientist when the Evolutionist does not even acknowledge his opponent in his scientific pursuit for truth?. We are in a debate of the science of one religion vs the science of the other.
Let me ask you this. Can you specify any condition that can "disprove" creationism?
In order for something to be scientific, it has to be falsifiable. This is a concept that every biology teacher I know try to beat on the heads of the students with. To be falsifiable, a theory must say that if certain conditions are observed then the theory can be thrown out the window.
For example, one of the specified conditions in which a scientist can discredit the theory of relativity is the discovery of a particle that travels faster than the speed of light. The reason I'm not talking about evolution is because the conditions are much more complicated than that.
With that said, is creationism falsifiable? If you answer yes, could you or one of your fellow creationists name a specified condition in which creationism can be falsified? If you answer no, then creationism is not a valid scientific theory, period.

The Laminator

This message is a reply to:
 Message 113 by almeyda, posted 05-07-2004 6:13 AM almeyda has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 117 by almeyda, posted 05-07-2004 2:09 PM coffee_addict has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 416 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 115 of 137 (106250)
05-07-2004 10:08 AM
Reply to: Message 93 by almeyda
05-07-2004 2:09 AM


Re: Supporting Assertions
almeyda
You believe that teaching evolution causes social decay.
Okay. That's a belief. But before anyone can say it is a fact and not just a belief, you need to do a few things.
First, you need to show that there really is more social decay then there was before evolution was taught.
Next you have to show that you have accounted for all other possible causes so that only the teaching of evolution led to the social decline and not other factors like War, economy, changing demographics, desease, introduction of new technologies or other factors.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 93 by almeyda, posted 05-07-2004 2:09 AM almeyda has not replied

  
JonF
Member (Idle past 190 days)
Posts: 6174
Joined: 06-23-2003


Message 116 of 137 (106258)
05-07-2004 10:29 AM
Reply to: Message 113 by almeyda
05-07-2004 6:13 AM


Re: Cranky mode
How can a scientist debate another scientist when the Evolutionist does not even acknowledge his opponent in his scientific pursuit for truth?
Many creation "scientists" have explicitly disavowed science, and the rest have done so implicitly. For example, the Institute for Creation Research has a Tenets of Creationism which explicitly states their belief that "all genuine facts of science support the Bible".
In science, you follow the evidence wherever it leads. If it leads to contradicting your most deeply held and cherished belief ... so be it. If the evidence does not support the Bible ... then the Bible is wrong.
Creation "scientists" ignore evidence, misrepresent evidence, and sometimes just plain lie about evidence in order to try to shoehorn reality into their narrow belief system. That's not science.
I am ready to discard the theory of evolution if the evidence leads there. Are you ready to discard your belief in a young Earth, or in a global flood, or separate creation of all "kinds" of organisms, if the evidence leads there? When you are honestly ready to do discard any of your beliefs about the Bible (but not about God, which is a matter outside of scientific inquiry and is your own business), when the "creation scientists" are honestly ready to do that, then you can enter the scientific arena and hold meaningful discuszions.
Of course, your major problem is that the evidence already does show conclusively that the Earth is old, that tehre was no global flood, that all organisms are descended from one ancestor (or maybe a few ancestors).

This message is a reply to:
 Message 113 by almeyda, posted 05-07-2004 6:13 AM almeyda has not replied

  
almeyda
Inactive Member


Message 117 of 137 (106324)
05-07-2004 2:09 PM
Reply to: Message 114 by coffee_addict
05-07-2004 6:45 AM


...
Your question is a bit confusing. Are you saying that Evolution is science because it cant be proven? Or because there theories constantly change?. I believe a theory that the evidence continues to support the claims and is consistant with the framework your basing the evidence on is more appropriately good science.
Have a quick read of this story by Ken Ham from his book "Genesis and the decay of the nations". "When we do start from the Bible we are accused of having blind faith, unscientific faith. I recall having a radio debate with a Humanist about this matter. He declared that Christian scientists who use the Bible as their foundation are not real scientist. Real science starts with doubts, which lead to theories that change constantly as new evidence is discovered. Because what the Bible says cannot be changed , he claimed it was therefore "unscientific".
He then admitted that because he could never know if he had all the evidence, he could never be absolutely certain he had truth. All he knew was that his theories would continue to change & that the Bible was not right. He told me "You start with answers, whereas real science starts with doubts. You cant teach people answers because we never have all the evidence". You can only teach theories that are subject to change!". I then asked him why he could say the Bible was wrong when he had already admitted that he didnt have all the evidence, and therefore could never be certain about anything. In other words how could he be certain the Bible was wrong when there could be a great deal of evidence he hadnt discovered, which would show it was right? What would he do then? He couldnt reply. The point is that he too began with a preconceived idea, his foundation was the theory of Evolution and he was not prepared to change it". (End of book exert)
The rules of this game is simply no supernatural is allowed. Therefore any suggestion of Creation is out of the question. It is on the Evolutionists part that they have tried to exclude Creation as real science when in fact it is. It really is not science vs religion it is the biased secular humanist view vs a biased christian view. Evolutionists are against Creationist because they refuse to play by there rules. Which is exclude all supernatural. The notion by the scientific community of excluding Creation has come from the rules of the game rather than the evidence. Ill leave you now with some quotes from the men many of you respect and admire for there athiestic evolutionary beliefs .
"In fact,evolution became in a sense a scientific religion, almost all scientists have accepted it and many are prepared to "bend" there observations to fit in with it" - H.S Lipson, FRS (Professor of physics. University of Manchester, UK
"You will be greatly disapointed (by the forthcoming book), it will be greviously to hypothetical. It will very likely be of no other service than collocating some facts, though i myself think my way approximately on the origin of the species. But alas how frequent, how almost universal is it in an author to persuade himself of the truth of his own dogmas" - Charles Darwin, 1858,in a letter to a coleague regarding the concluding chapters of his Origin of Species
(As quoted in "John Loftons Journal" The Washington Times, 8 February 1984)
It is easy enough to make up stories of how one form gave rise to another, and to find reasons why the stages should be favoured by natural selection. But such stories are not part of science, for there is no way of putting them to the test - Dr Colin Patterson, Senior Palaeontologist at the British Museum of Natural History Personal letter to Luther D.Sunderland, as quoted in "Darwins enigma" by Luther D.Sunderland
For i am well aware that scarcely a single point is discussed in this volume on which facts cannot be adduced , often apparently leading to conclusions directly opposite to those at which i have arrived. A fair result can be obtained only by full stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question, and this is here impossible - Charles Darwin,1859, Introduction to Origin of Species p.2
Facts do not "speak for themselves" , they are read in the light of theory. Creative thought, in science as much as in the arts, is the motor of changing opion, Science is a quintesentially human activity, not a mechanized robot like accumulation of object information, leading by laws of logic to inescapable interpretation - Stephen Jay Gould (Professor of Geology and Paleontology, Harvard University) "The validation of continental drift" in his book Ever Since Darwin,1978
With the failure of these many efforts science was left in the somewhat embarassing position of having to postulate theories of living organism which it could not demonstrate. After having chided the theologian for his reliance on myth and miracle, science found itself in the uneviable position of having to create a mythology of its own: namely the assumption then what after long effort could not be proved to take place today had, in truth taken place in the primeval past - Loren Eisely Ph.d
I know that, at least in paleoanthropology, data are still so sparse that theory heavily influences interpretation. Theories have, in the past, clearly reflected our current ideologies instead of the actual data - Dr David Pillbeam (Physical Anthropologist, Yale University)
Darwins book On the Origins of Species, I find quite unsatisfactory: it says nothing about the origin of species, it is written very tentatively, with a special chapter on "Difficulties of theory", and it includes a great deal discussion on why evidence for natural selection does not exist in the fossil record, As a scientist, I am not happy with these ideas. But i find it distasteful for scientist to reject a theory because it does not fit with their preconceived ideas - H.Lipson,FRS(Professor of Physics,University of Manchester,UK 1981)
Evolutionisn is a fairy tale for grown ups. This theory has helped nothing in the progress of science. It is useless - Prof John Durant (Former President of the Biological Society of Strausbourg & Director of the Strasbourg Zoological Museum)
Scientist who go about teaching evolution as a fact of life are great con-men, and the story they are telling may be the greatest hoax ever. In explaining evolution we do not have one iota of fact - Dr T.N Tahmisian (Atomic Energy Commision,USA)
I myself am convinced that the theory of evolution especially the extant to which its been aplied, will be one of the great jokes in the history books of the future. Posterity will marvel that so very flimsy and dubious an hypothesis could be accepted with the credulity that it has - Malcolm Muggeridge, Pascal Lectures,University of Waterloo, Canada
If living matter is not, then caused by the interplay of atoms,natural forces and radiation, how has it come into being? There is another theory , now quite out of favour, which is based upon the ideas of Lammarck: that if an organism needs an improvement it will develop it, and transmit it to its progeny. I think however that we must go further that this and admit that the only acceptable explantation is creation. I know that this is anathema to physicists as indeed it is to me, but we must not reject a theory that we do not like if the experimental evidental evidence supports it - H.S Lipson ,FRS (Professor of physics,University of Manchester,UK)
In 1973, I proposed that our Universe had been created spontaneously from nothing (ex nihilo) as a result of established principles of physics. This proposal variously struck people as preposterous,enchanting, or both. The novelty of a scientific theory of creation ex nihilo is readily apparent, for science has long taught us that one cannot make something from nothing - Edward P.Tryon (Professon of Physics, City University of New York ,USA
The more statistically improbably a thing is, the less can we believe that it just happened by blind chance. Superficially the obvious alternative to chance is an intelligent designer - Dr Richard Dawkins (Department of Zoology, Oxford University, UK) "The necessity of Darwinism" 1982
And in Man is a three-pound brain which, as far as we know, is the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter in the universe - Dr Isaac Asimov (Biochemist Boston University,1970) "In the game of energy and thermodynamics you cant even break even"
I have said for years that speculations about the origin of life lead to no useful purpose as even the simplest living system is far to complex to be understood in terms of the extremely primitive chemistry scientists have used in their attempts to explain the unexplainable that happened billions of years ago. God cannot be explained away by such naive thoughts - Ernest Chain (Biochemist), 1985
Why then is there not geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain, and this perhaps, is the most and serious objective which can be urged against my theory. The explanation lies as i believe in the extreme imperfection of the geological record - Charles Darwin "On the imperfection of the geological record", Origin of Species) 1971
The evolutionary trees that adorn our text books have data only at the tips and the nodes of their branches, the rest is inference, however reasonable, not the evidence of fossils - Stephen Jay Ghould (Professor of Geology and Paleontology, "Evolutions erratic pace")1977
Were not evolving slowly slowly. For all practical purposes were not evolving. Theres no reason to think were going to get bigger brains,smaller toes or whatever- we are what we are - Stephen Jay Ghould, 1984
Amid the bewildering array of early fossil hominoids, is there one whose morphology marks it as mans hominid ancestor? If the factor of genetic variability is considered the answer appears to be no - Robert B. Eckhardt,PhD (Human genetics and anthropology,Pennsylvania State University ,USA)
Not being a paleontologist, I dont want to pour too much scorn on paleontologists, but if you were to spend your life picking little fragents of bone and finding little fragments of head and little fragments of jaw, theres a very strong desire there to exaggerate the importance of those fragments - Dr Grek Kirby (Flinders University,Adelaide, 1976)
To suppose that an eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of sperical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, i freely confess, absurd in the highest degree - Charles Darwin in Origin of Species p167
Prebiotic soup is easy to optain. We must next explain how a prebiotic soup of organic molecules, including amino acids and the organic constitutes of nucleotides evolved into a self replicating organism. While some suggestive evidence has been obtained, I must admit that attempts to reconstruct this evolutionary process are extremely tentative - Dr Leslie Orgel (Salk Institute,California) "Darwinism at the beggining of life" p150
The chance that higher life forms might have emerged in this way is comparable with the chance that "a tornado sweeping through a junk-yard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein" - Sir Fred Hoyle (Astronomer,Cambridge University,"Hoyle on evolution" p105 1981
The origin of the genetic code is the most baffling aspect of the problem of the origins of life and a major conceptual or experiental breakthrough may be needed before we can make any progress - Dr Lesle Orgel (Salk Institute University, 1982)
I know the question in the minds of many of you who have followed me to this point: Does science prove that there is no Creator?" Emphatically, science does not prove that - Paul A.Moody PhD.(University of Vyrmont, 1962)
The problem with Evolution is that your not basing it on the only Person/Thing who was there when it happened. I wrote this Bible passage before and if you didnt read it you can read it here cause looking at it from a Biblical perspective i see it as a commentary on todays would
"Because that when they knew God, They glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain
in their imaginations & their foolish heart was darknened, Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleaness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is forever blessed amen" Romans 1:21-25
This message has been edited by almeyda, 05-07-2004 01:12 PM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 114 by coffee_addict, posted 05-07-2004 6:45 AM coffee_addict has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 118 by jar, posted 05-07-2004 2:23 PM almeyda has not replied
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jar
Member (Idle past 416 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 118 of 137 (106328)
05-07-2004 2:23 PM
Reply to: Message 117 by almeyda
05-07-2004 2:09 PM


almeyda
That is a nice long cut and past, but unfortunately, not one single thing in it has anything to do with the subject.
If you are going to ever have any success you really need to address the topic, particularly when it's your topic.
Slow down and go back to step one.
If you are going to support your initial contention,
quote:
that teaching evolution causes social decay,
you will first have to show that there is more social decay today than there was before evolution was taught.
Next, you will have to show that the increase in social decay was NOT caused by any other factors.
If you can not do those two things, then you have nothing except an unsupported opinion.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 117 by almeyda, posted 05-07-2004 2:09 PM almeyda has not replied

  
AdminNosy
Administrator
Posts: 4754
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Joined: 11-11-2003


Message 119 of 137 (106335)
05-07-2004 2:30 PM
Reply to: Message 117 by almeyda
05-07-2004 2:09 PM


Topic
As noted you are not staying on topic.
It does appear that your post is a cut and paste from other sources. You must attribute to your sources if that is the case.
You are in danger of having your posting priviledges restricted.
This message has been edited by AdminNosy, 05-07-2004 01:55 PM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 117 by almeyda, posted 05-07-2004 2:09 PM almeyda has not replied

  
JonF
Member (Idle past 190 days)
Posts: 6174
Joined: 06-23-2003


Message 120 of 137 (106348)
05-07-2004 3:31 PM
Reply to: Message 117 by almeyda
05-07-2004 2:09 PM


We've seen all this crap before, over and over, and repeating it doesn't make it true
quote:
When we do start from the Bible we are accused of having blind faith, unscientific faith. I recall having a radio debate with a Humanist about this matter. He declared that Christian scientists who use the Bible as their foundation are not real scientist. Real science starts with doubts, which lead to theories that change constantly as new evidence is discovered. Because what the Bible says cannot be changed , he claimed it was therefore "unscientific"
The "humanist" was right. None of what Ham says later changes that or challenges that.
Most of the rest of the article is what we call "quote mining"; short quiotes that are taken out of context and often presented improperly (without indication of parts being removed, with punctuation added or changed, ...) and definiteely not representing the views of the person quoted. In other words, lying.
Let's pick one at random:
quote:
The more statistically improbably a thing is, the less can we believe that it just happened by blind chance. Superficially the obvious alternative to chance is an intelligent designer - Dr Richard Dawkins (Department of Zoology, Oxford University, UK) "The necessity of Darwinism" 1982p
Now, it's obvious to anyone on either side who has been following this debate that those words do not represent Dawkins' views. and teh word "superficially" rings an alarm bell .. it looks as if something ipmortant follows, which has been cut out. A Google search leads us to Cretinism or Evilution? No. 3: An Out of Context Quotation, which says {I have emphasized the part that Ham left out):
quote:
By lifting this brief sentence out of its original context the editors of The Revised Quote Book make it sound like Dawkins is in favor of teaching the instantaneous creation of animals and plants as part of a "two model" approach to "origins." However, any reader paying attention to Dawkins' use of the word, "Superficially," and to the title of Dawkins' article, "The Necessity of Darwinism," must realize that the editors have ignored the context of the quotation. In context, Dawkins wrote:
"The more statistically improbable a thing is, the less can we believe that it just happened by blind chance. Superficially the obvious alternative to chance is an intelligent Designer. But Charles Darwin showed how it is possible for blind physical forces to mimic the effects of conscious design, and, by operating as a cumulative filter of chance variations, to lead eventual to organized and adaptive complexity, to mosquitoes and mammoths, to humans and therefore, indirectly, to books and computers.
"Darwin's theory is now supported by all the available relevant evidence, and its truth is not doubted by any serious modern biologist...

How about another:
quote:
To suppose that an eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of sperical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, i freely confess, absurd in the highest degree - Charles Darwin in Origin of Species p167
This is a famous mined quote. Darwin would often raise a possible objection to his theory and then show why the objection has no merit. Creationists love to quote the first part and suppress teh second; that's the "ignoring evidence" that I've mentioned befoer. From Cretinism or Evilution? No. 3: An Old, Out of Context, Quotation:
quote:
Furthermore, this quotation has been lifted out of context. According to the edition of The Origin of Species published by Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1952 (in the Great Books series), here is the entire quotation in context:
"To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of Spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree. When it was first said that the sun stood still and the world turned round, the common sense of mankind declared the doctrine false; but the old saying of Vox populi, vox Dei {"the voice of the people is the voice of God "}, as every philosopher knows, cannot be trusted in science. Reason tells me, that if numerous gradations from a simple and imperfect eye to one complex and perfect can be shown to exist, each grade being useful to its possessor, as is certain the case; if further, the eye ever varies and the variations be inherited, as is likewise certainly the case; and if such variations should be useful to any animal under changing conditions of life, then the difficulty of believing that a perfect and complex eye could be formed by natural selection, should not be considered as subversive of the theory."
Darwin then went on to describe how some simple animals have only "aggregates of pigment-cells...without any nerves ... [which] serve only to distinguish light from darkness." Then, in animals a bit more complex, like "star-fish," there exist "small depressions in the layer of [light-sensitive cells] -- depressions which are "filled ... with transparent gelatinous matter and have a clear outer covering, "like the cornea in the higher animals." These eyes lack a lens, but the fact that the light sensitive pigment lies in a "depression" in the skin makes it possible for the animal to tell more precisely from what direction the light is coming. And the more cup-shaped the depression, the better it helps "focus" the image like a simple "box-camera" may do, even without a lens. Likewise in the human embryo, the eye is formed from a "sack-like fold in the skin."
There's lot's more there, but I won't quote it all; try actually learning something by going there and reading it for yourself. For God's sake, try thinking and evaluating the evidence rather than blindly reapeating Ham's lies. Yup, Ham's a dishonest quote miner ... and you are helping him spread his lies. Shame on you.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 117 by almeyda, posted 05-07-2004 2:09 PM almeyda has not replied

  
almeyda
Inactive Member


Message 121 of 137 (110556)
05-26-2004 1:20 AM


NEW TOPIC:
If we remove the Bible as our only guide on ethics. Whos ethics will we listen to. The governments? or the majority?. Wouldnt their be a overwhelming amount of conflict of ethics between nations?. Since there is no foundation, no absolute. How can America tell a 3rd world country or a savage tribe. No you cannot do that it is wrong. On what basis can one have such a arrogant thought?. So in reality all we are doing is following humanist values and philosophy. But no matter what this will just be another opinion that one can embrace or reject. So the problem lies in the fact that their is no absolute and no grounds for one to impose their own ideas on another human being. This is exactly what an evolutionary world predicted. A survival of the fittest. Alastair Hanna sums up the dilemna faced by a theory of law that rejects the Lawgiver "Humanists naturally want to believe that we have moral obligations, duties in some virtually legalistic sense but not the product of arbitrary legislation, to one another. But on what can the belief be based?".

Replies to this message:
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crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1489 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 122 of 137 (110561)
05-26-2004 1:31 AM
Reply to: Message 121 by almeyda
05-26-2004 1:20 AM


Wouldnt their be a overwhelming amount of conflict of ethics between nations?
Isn't there already?
If you get people to stop thinking that they alone of all people have The Truth Straight from God, wouldn't they be more inclined to live and let live?
I mean, if you're forced to conclude that the morals you hold aren't divine dictates but simply your best guess about how folks should live, aren't you a little more inclined to accept that another person's different-but-workable opinion is just as valid?
How can America tell a 3rd world country or a savage tribe. No you cannot do that it is wrong.
The same way any of us makee judgements about things that aren't in the Bible - we look at the outcome. If doing that thing leads to bad outcomes for people, then we're in pretty good standing to tell them that what they're doing is a bad idea.
So the problem lies in the fact that their is no absolute and no grounds for one to impose their own ideas on another human being.
There's plenty of reason. All moral codes are subject to evaluation based on outcome.
"Humanists naturally want to believe that we have moral obligations, duties in some virtually legalistic sense but not the product of arbitrary legislation, to one another. But on what can the belief be based?".
The fact that, when humans live with those things, society survives and everyone is happier.
Do you want a world where people can take what they like and kill who they want? I sure don't. Nobody does. And that fact is sufficient justification for laws that maker stealing and murder wrong.

"What gets me is all the mean things people say about Secular Humanism without even taking the time to read some of our basic scriptures, such as the Bill of Rights or Omni magazine." - Barbara Ehrenreich

This message is a reply to:
 Message 121 by almeyda, posted 05-26-2004 1:20 AM almeyda has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 123 by almeyda, posted 05-26-2004 1:55 AM crashfrog has replied

  
almeyda
Inactive Member


Message 123 of 137 (110570)
05-26-2004 1:55 AM
Reply to: Message 122 by crashfrog
05-26-2004 1:31 AM


quote:
The same way any of us makee judgements about things that aren't in the Bible - we look at the outcome. If doing that thing leads to bad outcomes for people, then we're in pretty good standing to tell them that what they're doing is a bad idea.
This is strange. Why are you right and they are wrong?. Because you think it is bad. Because it causes evil. Whatever you think is evil is just your own opinion. A savage tribe have just as much a right to create their own set of rules as you or a whole nation do. No one has the right to impose their own opinions unless its based on someone who has the right to make the rules because he made everything therefore owns everything. You say because the outcome is bad. But this is just your opinion. The tribe or any other nation do not consider it wrong. Why is your opinion greater than theirs?.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 122 by crashfrog, posted 05-26-2004 1:31 AM crashfrog has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 124 by crashfrog, posted 05-26-2004 2:03 AM almeyda has replied

  
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1489 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 124 of 137 (110572)
05-26-2004 2:03 AM
Reply to: Message 123 by almeyda
05-26-2004 1:55 AM


Why are you right and they are wrong?
Purely objective reasons. In my country, people live long lives and generally report being content with their lives.
In their country, life is short and dangerous, people are starving, and nobody's happy.
You don't need universal absolutes to prefer the first way to the second. If folks want to live and be happy, why do we need greater justification than that for the social constructions it takes?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 123 by almeyda, posted 05-26-2004 1:55 AM almeyda has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 125 by almeyda, posted 05-26-2004 3:09 AM crashfrog has replied

  
almeyda
Inactive Member


Message 125 of 137 (110584)
05-26-2004 3:09 AM
Reply to: Message 124 by crashfrog
05-26-2004 2:03 AM


But this does not just relate to starving people. It also involves someone who wishes to live the life of a criminal. If he wants to live his life this way. Why can you say he is wrong. It may be wrong to you and someone else but not to him. And as for the savage tribes they live happy with their customs and tradition. Yet America may still find their values and ethics wrong even though they cannot base ethics on anything but their own opinion. So it may well be reality that living long lives and living under Americas secular laws may be the so called "right" way. It may not be the right way to live for anyone who disagrees and chooses to live a different lifestyle of ethics. Also we cannot forget that ethical relativism has all sorts of problem. Morals can be changed according to what any society does or wants. So nothing is in stone therefore moral truth will never be right or absolute.
This message has been edited by almeyda, 05-26-2004 02:18 AM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 124 by crashfrog, posted 05-26-2004 2:03 AM crashfrog has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 126 by crashfrog, posted 05-26-2004 3:21 AM almeyda has replied

  
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