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Author Topic:   Spotting Beretta's "designer" {Now only 1 summation message per member}
NosyNed
Member
Posts: 9004
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 15 of 315 (473705)
07-02-2008 5:08 AM
Reply to: Message 11 by subbie
07-01-2008 11:54 PM


A couple of problems here
In essence, if a structure can be found that cannot have developed through natural processes, wouldn't that force us to conclude that some non-natural, intelligent agent had to be behind it?
There are problems buried in the above. They are not new though.
1) How could we conclude that they cannot have developed through natural processes with out being in the position of giving an argument from ignorance? We know a lot more than we did 200 years ago but we still know far from everything about natural processes.
2) What do we mean by "non-natural"? Supernatural or just a natural intelligent agent? If it is a non-supernatural intelligent agent then it is acting through some selected natural processes. They would just be different than garden variety evolutionary processes. Even "artificial" selection acts through the usual evolutionary processes. We can't tell from the ongoing development of, say, dogs that it is not natural selection (can we?). We only know because we see the designer acting but the designer only selects from existing forms just as the environment does.
We might be able to tell if we were testing for genetic engineering though. Maybe that is what should be looked for.
If we did we'd recognize it in a number of ways:
1) a discontinuity in the genetics. This could take many forms but even some of them can be natural. I guess it isn't totally impossible for a virus or bacteria to carry a bit of fish DNA into ourselves for example.
More obvious would be the insertion of DNA that comes from no where else in any present or known past organisms. In other words a real discontinuity. Right?
2)A different basic mechanism such as a different genetic code altogether. Artificial life?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 11 by subbie, posted 07-01-2008 11:54 PM subbie has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 25 by subbie, posted 07-02-2008 7:05 PM NosyNed has replied

NosyNed
Member
Posts: 9004
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 27 of 315 (473768)
07-02-2008 7:34 PM
Reply to: Message 25 by subbie
07-02-2008 7:05 PM


Cataclysmic Change
Suppose we were to discover an organism that developed a trait that made them better able to survive some cataclysmic change in advance of the change? Surely that would be evidence of an intelligent agent at work.
We got some. Mammals were 'smart' enough to be small when the asteroid destroyed niches needed by animals that were too large. How do we know it isn't just dumb luck?

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 Message 25 by subbie, posted 07-02-2008 7:05 PM subbie has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 29 by subbie, posted 07-02-2008 7:56 PM NosyNed has replied

NosyNed
Member
Posts: 9004
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 30 of 315 (473774)
07-02-2008 8:38 PM
Reply to: Message 29 by subbie
07-02-2008 7:56 PM


Thought experiments
Keep in mind that what I'm doing here is not really proposing any serious area for scientific inquiry. It's more in the nature of a thought experiment. What kind of evidence would we have to see to support a conclusion of an intelligent influence? Obviously, for starters, it would have to be something inconsistent with any possible naturalistic explanation.
Actually a good thought (intended) you have there. So what would it be?
We'll have to do this ourselves, 99.98 % of creationists (and a larger percentage of our sample here) aren't exactly well equipped for a thought experiment.

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 Message 29 by subbie, posted 07-02-2008 7:56 PM subbie has not replied

NosyNed
Member
Posts: 9004
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 94 of 315 (475662)
07-17-2008 9:42 AM
Reply to: Message 75 by Beretta
07-16-2008 9:19 AM


Re: Who is the designer?
Very imaginative, very mathematical, very brilliant - way beyond our limited brains and abilities to understand in more than a fairly elementary way.
Actually no. see Distinguishing "designs"
The design we see is exactly NOT the kind that intelligence causes.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 75 by Beretta, posted 07-16-2008 9:19 AM Beretta has not replied

NosyNed
Member
Posts: 9004
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 97 of 315 (475790)
07-18-2008 10:25 AM
Reply to: Message 95 by Beretta
07-18-2008 10:04 AM


Looks
What if something that looks created is created...
But (Message 94 it has been pointed out to you that it doesn't look created. Living things look exactly like things not created.
You seem to be missing that point entirely. Along with a lot of others.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 95 by Beretta, posted 07-18-2008 10:04 AM Beretta has replied

Replies to this message:
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NosyNed
Member
Posts: 9004
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 151 of 315 (476738)
07-26-2008 11:02 AM
Reply to: Message 140 by Beretta
07-26-2008 2:44 AM


Types of "Designs"
The created things in all their complexity are the positive evidence for intelligent design.
For the last time: They are exactly the wrong kind of complexity. They demonstrate the results of a non-intelligently driven process that we know about and have shown to produce this kind of outcome. You've never responded to this point though it's been pointed out to you more than once.
You seem to be unable to deal with the actual issues so you ignore them.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 140 by Beretta, posted 07-26-2008 2:44 AM Beretta has not replied

NosyNed
Member
Posts: 9004
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 191 of 315 (477232)
07-31-2008 10:12 AM
Reply to: Message 186 by Beretta
07-31-2008 9:41 AM


"explosion"
The Cambrian explosion is evidence for creation.
So God took a few tens of millions of years to create life? After he already had spent 100 million years experimenting with some multicellular forms? After he'd spent about 3 billion years getting single celled life right?
Is that what you mean?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 186 by Beretta, posted 07-31-2008 9:41 AM Beretta has not replied

NosyNed
Member
Posts: 9004
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 241 of 315 (477540)
08-04-2008 11:23 AM
Reply to: Message 238 by Beretta
08-04-2008 11:00 AM


Evidence
Evidence was thin on the ground in Darwin's day (at least he admitted to his reservations)and so many many fossils later, it really doesn't look any better.
Beretta, you forget. We know better. It does you no good to repeat falsehoods here. It only makes you look either ignorant, stupid or dishonest. (or any combination of the three).
I suggest you start getting your facts straight before repeating this kind of junk.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 238 by Beretta, posted 08-04-2008 11:00 AM Beretta has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 252 by Beretta, posted 08-05-2008 10:03 AM NosyNed has not replied

NosyNed
Member
Posts: 9004
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 281 of 315 (477848)
08-08-2008 10:48 AM
Reply to: Message 279 by Beretta
08-08-2008 10:00 AM


against design
Where is your evidence against design?
To repeat for the 5th or 6th or somethingth time:
The "design" you are pointing out is the proof against intelligent design. It is exactly the wrong kind of result.
You yourself keep supplying the proof. You have totally ignored this.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 279 by Beretta, posted 08-08-2008 10:00 AM Beretta has not replied

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