Explaining natural wonders (Animals)

by David Turell , Tuesday, April 25, 2017, 20:04 (2557 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: I don't know exactly how God instructed the weaverbird, but He had to based on the complexity of the knots. Envisioning guidelines, beyond the generalization, is impossible. What would you suggest?

dhw: One moment the guidelines have nothing to do with twiddling over a messy knot but are confined to speciation, and the next moment the guidelines have to be based on the knots.

I don't understand your problem with the word 'guidelines'. God undoubtedly works at the knot level and the species level, Either by direct design or by supplying guidelines.

DAVID (under “sea urchin defense”) Defense at a distance is a great concept. This is a simple early form of an animal with a very complex defense. Hard to imagine it evolved by chance.

dhw: Brilliant stuff! Thank you. Yes, it is indeed hard to imagine that it evolved by chance, ... Ah, maybe your God gave this animal the intelligence to design its own defence system. Just a thought.

There is no brain, just a nerve ring to control the spines and defense system automatically, but magically, according to you, they can invent complexity. this system is too complex for stepwise development. It had to be put together all at once.

DAVID: Sorry. You are the one to raise an issue over the math of population genetics. My dabbling or pre-programming hypotheses are just as will o' the wisp as your auto inventions. My positive view is God guided evolution. I just cannot give a positive description of His methodology, so I guess. As you are guessing.

dhw: One of the problems in our discussions is the authoritative manner in which you state your own beliefs and dismiss other hypotheses. ...What you have written above provides a welcome change of tone. Yes, we can only hypothesize on ALL of these questions, all our answers are riddled with uncertainties, and so belief should not turn into dogma.

My hypotheses fit reality as I see it. Yours fit your view. I'm on one side of the fence. I'll stay there while you will stay on it. Reality of our positions.