Debate #9

[loosechanj]

I think my lack of opposition to Intelligent Design is due to the fact that I don't see Evolution as being particularly more valid than a properly expressed ID theory. Darwin gives people who don't want to feel beholden to any higher power the comfort of living in a universe without one, whether that's reality or not.

Comments

[loosechanj.livejournal.com]

I've yet to see any empirical evidence for evolution.

[shared-boxers.livejournal.com]

Then you've yet to look. But, I'm not here to convince you. I've said my peace.

[loosechanj.livejournal.com]

I have looked, and what I've seen is mostly minor adaptations to a changed environment and quite a lot of futzing about with what one can consider a "species".

[arachnophiliac.livejournal.com]

More common creationist red herrings, distortions, and falsehoods. See here, here, and here.

One can't observe a complete stellar life-cycle either, but this doesn't render the fact of it false. Same with speciation events. Never mind that species is largely an artificial construct. If common descent is true, there are no hard boundaries in the history of life. Bacteria and humankind comprise a unity, not distinct entities.

[loosechanj.livejournal.com]

Like I'm gonna listen to the space pope. :-P

[loosechanj.livejournal.com]

All very good points, btw. But I still can't wrap my mind around *this* much complexity coming about within the age of the universe.

[arachnophiliac.livejournal.com]

Argument from incredulity is not scientific reasoning. :)

Ouch.

[naruki-oni.livejournal.com]

That makes creationists look pretty feebleminded, then. Well, mostly lazy, I should say.

"It's too hard! Just say Goddidit, please!"

But you still have to answer where God came from, and how He got all those amazing powers. Within the age of the universe.

Re: Ouch.

[loosechanj.livejournal.com]

No you don't. If he made everything that means time too. :-P

Ok.

[naruki-oni.livejournal.com]

But you still have to figure out where he came from and how.

The other problem is that you think 5 billion years is a short enough time that you can wrap your mind around it and decide that it's too short a time for all this stuff to happen. But 5 billion is a huge fucking number of years.

Hell, Bill Gates doesn't really understand what he's worth. He just wants more.