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Originally posted by Punisher:
The fossil record shows nothing.
This is an interesting assertion. On what do you base it? What is your experience with the fossil record?
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You make an assumption and seek to understand the fossil record in light of that assumption.
Not really. You forget that there is history here. In the early days of geology, the fossil record was first observed. At that time, this was unexplainable. Then evolution came along, and there was a lot of the "why-didn't-I-think-of-that?" syndrome. Nowadays, yes, we use evolution as the basis for our interpretation. But remember it wasn't always that way, and if there were credible inconsistencies we would move on to another theory. This has not happened.
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Suppose you were on a dig 2000 years from now, and you discovered, in different strata, a Shetland pony, a quarterhorse, a thorough-bred, and a Clydesdale. Being completely honest, wouldn't you try to arrange them in some sort of evolutionary fashion - as though the big horse evolved from the smaller one?
Actually, not. Because they would be in the same strata. Also, this is not a good analogy because the various breeds you refer to were genetically engineered. In a natural system all horses would start to look alike unless some were genetically isolated and took on different characteristics. In that case, eventually, they would become a different species.
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Now, given the assumption of evolution, ...
Which would be valid, since it has been shown to work.
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...that arrangement would come easy. The fossil record has not showed it to be true, it is merely consistent with your assumption. I mean, after all, the fossils could be related. But the fossils themselves do not teach us the relation. Would you admit that the assumption has to be made?
Not a bad assumption, really. Evolution has been shown to work. It would be a justifiable to think that it would work in new situations as well. Now, does the assumption of evolution guarantee that we can make a correct interpretation of the evolution of the horse? Of course not. There is usually not enough data to be certain and future discoveries will clarify the picture. On the other hand, your scenario is not valid for the reasons stated.
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