DILEMMAS (Evolution)

by David Turell , Thursday, October 30, 2014, 00:01 (3459 days ago) @ dhw


> dhw: In its theistic form, the one I have proposed is: “instead of preprogramming every innovation you can think of, God created a mechanism within the cell (located in the genome) that is capable not only of adapting [...] but also of creating most [...] of the variations we see in the evolutionary bush; but he dabbled in order to create the basic structures (such as heart, kidneys. etc etc.) and maybe even some variations, like the human brain.” How does this contradict what you have said above?-It doesn't. The basic patterns of organs were probably in the program that created the Cambrian, either from the beginning of life or inserted at that time.-> 
> dhw: So did the inventive mechanism work out how to stretch the giraffe's neck, or are you saying God planned the giraffe's neck? I am saying the former.-The neck follows the pattern and is an adaptation the IM could have handled it seems to me.-
> dhw: Which “needed information”? In the hypothesis I have proposed, God provided the information that enables organisms to invent. That does not mean he dictates WHAT they are going to invent (e.g. the giraffe's long neck).-Fair enough.
> 
> Your restrictions vary from day to day. One moment the inventive mechanism is semi-autonomous, and the next God has total control. Either God planned every innovation, variation, and mode of living, or he created a mechanism (the equivalent of the human brain) which within natural limits was capable of planning and creating the vast range of variations that make up the higgledy-piggledy bush.-Remember, I'm in the process of mulling about all this. As long as we stick with variations on the main theme of patterns, I agree with yhou that an IM is very possible.-> dhw: If it's the latter, he deliberately relaxed control over evolution, though he could always step in to dabble (your patterns, and maybe the human brain).....So, once again: do you think God planned the giraffe's neck, did he dabble, or did the pre-giraffe's God-given inventive mechanism work it out all by itself?-I think it is possible to have an IM that makes variations and adaptations.