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Author Topic:   Creationist Friendly Q&A
Loudmouth
Inactive Member


Message 61 of 88 (190611)
03-08-2005 12:10 PM
Reply to: Message 59 by AdminJar
03-08-2005 11:07 AM


Re: Be a good example
quote:
Can I spin this off to start the Atheist Frendly Q&A?
Sure.

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PecosGeorge
Member (Idle past 6873 days)
Posts: 863
From: Texas
Joined: 04-09-2004


Message 62 of 88 (190621)
03-08-2005 12:48 PM
Reply to: Message 57 by nator
03-08-2005 8:42 AM


Re: Be a good example
quote:
That is an interesting speculation, but for it to become anything more than speculation, there needs to be a lot more positive evidence to support it before it would become generally accepted within the scientific community.
My curiosity question is about bending space. Let's say we have all the evidence we want and Daniel and the angel are fact. Was the angel bending space. Does the scientific community speculate about bending space and how discovering its properties will affect space travel.
Speculation is the beginning of science.

Pascal's Wager......nice try.

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JonF
Member (Idle past 168 days)
Posts: 6174
Joined: 06-23-2003


Message 63 of 88 (190632)
03-08-2005 2:03 PM
Reply to: Message 62 by PecosGeorge
03-08-2005 12:48 PM


Re: Be a good example
My curiosity question is about bending space. Let's say we have all the evidence we want and Daniel and the angel are fact. Was the angel bending space.
We cannot tell until we have examined and analyzed this "all the evidence we want".
Does the scientific community speculate about bending space and how discovering its properties will affect space travel.
Oh, you bet. Indistinguishable From Magic, Future Magic, Space-Time Engineering (see especially the "FTL - Faster than Light Travel" section).

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Trump won 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1240 days)
Posts: 1928
Joined: 01-12-2004


Message 64 of 88 (190634)
03-08-2005 2:15 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Loudmouth
03-03-2005 2:45 PM


Q: What makes us more evolved than the rest of the animal kingdom?
I heard the only thing that distinguishes usfrom homohabilis is our thinking ability.

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Loudmouth
Inactive Member


Message 65 of 88 (190638)
03-08-2005 2:26 PM
Reply to: Message 64 by Trump won
03-08-2005 2:15 PM


quote:
Q: What makes us more evolved than the rest of the animal kingdom?
I heard the only thing that distinguishes usfrom homohabilis is our thinking ability.
We are as evolved as any other species. Bacteria, for example, have been evolving for about a billion years, give or take. They are perhaps the most evolved group of organisms.
Evolution does not have a goal other than survival. Are we less evolved than whales because we can't swim as well? Are we less evolved than cheetahs because we can't run as fast? Are we less evolved than snakes because we can't slither? Are we less evolved than rabbits because we can't reproduce as fast? Within evolution, intelligence is no more important than those attributes I list above. To humans, intelligence is something that we hold very dear, but to nature it is just another adaptation.

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Trump won 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1240 days)
Posts: 1928
Joined: 01-12-2004


Message 66 of 88 (190642)
03-08-2005 2:44 PM
Reply to: Message 65 by Loudmouth
03-08-2005 2:26 PM


Ok, I shouldn't of asked that question like that.
How come humans are able to think like this:
quote:
Evolution does not have a goal other than survival. Are we less evolved than whales because we can't swim as well? Are we less evolved than cheetahs because we can't run as fast? Are we less evolved than snakes because we can't slither? Are we less evolved than rabbits because we can't reproduce as fast? Within evolution, intelligence is no more important than those attributes I list above. To humans, intelligence is something that we hold very dear, but to nature it is just another adaptation.
This message has been edited by chris porcelain, 03-08-2005 14:45 AM

-one word to describe me, spectacular yes

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Replies to this message:
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Loudmouth
Inactive Member


Message 67 of 88 (190658)
03-08-2005 3:49 PM
Reply to: Message 66 by Trump won
03-08-2005 2:44 PM


quote:
Ok, I shouldn't of asked that question like that.
How come humans are able to think like this:
Because of how our brain functions. The parts of our brain (cerebrum, temporal lobes, etc) responsible for abstract thought appear to have increased in size through the eons. As an analogy, it was similar to the increase in processor power seen in the computer industry over the last 80 years. Processor speeds increased because the number of transistors on the chip increased. This is analogous to the history of our brains, the number of brain cells increased which gave us the power needed for abstract thought, prediction of environmental changes, pre-adaptive learning, abstract language, etc. These qualities can be found in other species, but in a very limited way.
Even with animal breeding we can see that intelligence is heritable. I happen to own a border collie, which is similar to having a hyperactive 3 year old child. This breed was bred for it's intelligence and endurance, characteristics that allowed this breed to tend sheep herds away from human contact and to also work hand in hand with humans. These are also characteristics that allow this breed to get into huge amounts of trouble, but that's another story altogether.

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Trump won 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1240 days)
Posts: 1928
Joined: 01-12-2004


Message 68 of 88 (190672)
03-08-2005 5:19 PM
Reply to: Message 67 by Loudmouth
03-08-2005 3:49 PM


Do you think homosapiens will grow more and more intelligent to the point of evolving into a new species?

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
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Loudmouth
Inactive Member


Message 69 of 88 (190674)
03-08-2005 5:37 PM
Reply to: Message 68 by Trump won
03-08-2005 5:19 PM


quote:
Do you think homosapiens will grow more and more intelligent to the point of evolving into a new species?
I think humans will remove themselves from the effects of evolution. It seems inevitable that we will begin to manipulate our own DNA to cure illness and other maladies. This will eventually lead to bettering humans which may also include inserting DNA that will lead to higher intelligence. We may also do the same for other species, such as chimps.
So to answer your question, I think we will grow more intelligent but it will not be due to evolution. Well, at least not a direct result of random mutation and natural selection. I really don't see us splitting off into two species unless we start colonizing other planets.

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Replies to this message:
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nator
Member (Idle past 2170 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 70 of 88 (190676)
03-08-2005 5:43 PM
Reply to: Message 68 by Trump won
03-08-2005 5:19 PM


quote:
Do you think homosapiens will grow more and more intelligent to the point of evolving into a new species?
Much of our intelligence is due to our ability to teach each new generation what we have already figured out, not because we are getting smarter.

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Replies to this message:
 Message 71 by Trump won, posted 03-08-2005 5:47 PM nator has replied

  
Trump won 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1240 days)
Posts: 1928
Joined: 01-12-2004


Message 71 of 88 (190677)
03-08-2005 5:47 PM
Reply to: Message 70 by nator
03-08-2005 5:43 PM


well I mean how he said you evolve and get more sand more brain cells

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nator
Member (Idle past 2170 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 72 of 88 (190678)
03-08-2005 5:53 PM
Reply to: Message 71 by Trump won
03-08-2005 5:47 PM


quote:
well I mean how he said you evolve and get more sand more brain cells
Remember, too, that a bigger brain doesn't always mean "more intelligent".
Dolphins and whales have brains that are similar in size, or even larger than, our own brains.

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Trump won 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1240 days)
Posts: 1928
Joined: 01-12-2004


Message 73 of 88 (190679)
03-08-2005 5:53 PM
Reply to: Message 69 by Loudmouth
03-08-2005 5:37 PM


Yeah we've nearly eliminated natural selection, and fighting for your survival is primitive anyway. Intelligence is if your allowed to think, there's an old chinese curse: to exist during a crazy time when there is chaos so your not allowed to sit and think.
Q: How does need for survival spawn intelligence/a better being?

This message is a reply to:
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Trump won 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1240 days)
Posts: 1928
Joined: 01-12-2004


Message 74 of 88 (190681)
03-08-2005 5:56 PM
Reply to: Message 72 by nator
03-08-2005 5:53 PM


Well according to Loudmouth an increase in parts of the brain that give abstract thought does.

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Loudmouth
Inactive Member


Message 75 of 88 (190786)
03-09-2005 12:51 PM
Reply to: Message 74 by Trump won
03-08-2005 5:56 PM


quote:
Well according to Loudmouth an increase in parts of the brain that give abstract thought does. Well according to Loudmouth an increase in parts of the brain that give abstract thought does.
Just to clarify, more brain cells gives one the POTENTIAL for greater intelligence. Going back to the computer chip analogy, if the transistors on a chip are not wired together correctly, or if the software does not operate correctly, then more transistors is useless.
As to cummulative knowledge, it is the same thing. Humans have had the potential for passing on large volumes of knowledge in the past. That potential has only recently (last 1000 years) become a reality. The adoption of the scientific method has helped tremendously in this endeavour.

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