EvC Forum: How Do Scientists Believe in God and Evolution?

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Topic: How Do Scientists Believe in God and Evolution?

Wounded King

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Message 6 of 145 (465362)
05-05-2008 5:47 PM

Reply to: Message 1 by Wumpini
05-04-2008 6:26 PM

Have you read Francis Collins' book, 'The language of God'. He is one of the most prominent proponents of 'theistic evolution', although he apparently prefers his own alternate term 'Biologos'.

The wikipedia page on Collins lists these as the key points of 'Biologos' ...

(1) The universe came into being out of nothingness, approximately 14 billion years ago.
(2) Despite massive improbabilities, the properties of the universe appear to have been precisely tuned for life.
(3) While the precise mechanism of the origin of life on earth remains unknown, once life arose, the process of evolution and natural selection permitted the development of biological diversity and complexity over very long periods of time.
(4) Once evolution got under way no special supernatural intervention was required.
(5) Humans are part of this process, sharing a common ancestor with the great apes.
(6) But humans are also unique in ways that defy evolutionary explanation and point to our spiritual nature. This includes the existence of the Moral Law (the knowledge of right and wrong) and the search for God that characterizes all human cultures throughout history.

TTFN,

This message is a reply to:
	Message 1 by Wumpini, posted 05-04-2008 6:26 PM		Wumpini has replied

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	Message 9 by Wumpini, posted 05-07-2008 9:51 PM		Wounded King has not replied

Wounded King

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Posts: 4149

From: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Joined: 04-09-2003

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Message 60 of 145 (468113)
05-27-2008 9:37 AM

Reply to: Message 56 by Wumpini
05-27-2008 8:39 AM

Re: Prediction

This implies that the theory of evoloution has a low power to make future predicitons.

This is true as far as it goes.

If you compare the predictive ability of Newtonian mechanics for the behaviour of bodies in motion, i.e. projectile flight, to the ability of an evolutionary biologist to predict any particular mutation or the evolution of any particular trait then the predictive ability of evolution, in terms of predicting the future course of evolution, is virtually non-existent.

This isn't a failing of the theory though but a consequence of the nature of evolution. It doesn't mean that evolutionary biology isn't predictive, but it isn't predictive to the same extent that Newtonian mechanics, quantum mechanics or organic chemistry are.

Those fields can be exquisitely predictive, not being as high powered as these does not mean evolution is not predictive.

TTFN,

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	Message 56 by Wumpini, posted 05-27-2008 8:39 AM		Wumpini has not replied

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	Message 61 by NosyNed, posted 05-27-2008 12:38 PM	Wounded King has not replied
	Message 63 by bluegenes, posted 05-27-2008 1:27 PM	Wounded King has replied

Wounded King

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Posts: 4149

From: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Joined: 04-09-2003

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Message 65 of 145 (468148)
05-27-2008 3:05 PM

Reply to: Message 63 by bluegenes
05-27-2008 1:27 PM

Re: Prediction

So, I think that the "non-predictive" criticism of ToE is bollocks, basically, and due to a misunderstanding of "predictive" which expects crystal ball type magic.

So do I, but the sort of general predictions evolutionary theory supplies as to trends are clearly not of the same degree of precision as the sort of calculations which are routinely done in physics classrooms to predict a multitude of things which can then be performed immediately in the classroom. I think it is understandable that people who have encountered evolutionary theory and Newtonian mechanics at high schools come away with an impression of a vast difference in the predictive strengths of each.

TTFN,
WK

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Wounded King

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Posts: 4149

From: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Joined: 04-09-2003

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Message 72 of 145 (468885)
06-02-2008 4:40 AM

Reply to: Message 71 by Wumpini
06-02-2008 3:26 AM

Re: Scientists and Belief in God

I believe that there are many people in the world who are abusing the “Theory of Evolution” (either with or without awareness) and this is hurting peoples’ faith in God.

I agree, the majority of these people are creationists.

TTFN,

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	Message 71 by Wumpini, posted 06-02-2008 3:26 AM		Wumpini has not replied

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