Can Random Genetic Mutations provide Natural Selection the Raw Material it Requires to Create New Species?
Darwin Starts with a Populated Environment
Darwin’s theory of Decent with Modification through Natural Selection does not address how life began. Darwin’s theory attempts to explain how, over time, some members of a well marked species may begin to diverge in organic structure, habits, etc. into incipient (or emergent) species and eventually into an entirely new species. Darwin’s studies, observations, and postulations begin with an environment already significantly populated with organisms. For instance, in The Origin of Species chapter on the Struggle for Existence, the struggle is against numerous other competing species and is a central component to Darwin’s theory on Natural Selection.
Darwin states in The Origin of Species, Instinct chapter:
“I must premise, that I have nothing to do with the origin of the primary mental powers, any more than I have with that of life itself (1).”
Darwin’s definition of Natural Selection
Darwin states, in The Origin of Species:
“Can it, then, be thought improbable, seeing that variations useful to man [under domestic breeding] have undoubtedly occurred, that other variations useful in some way to each being in the great and complex battle for life, should sometimes occur in the course of thousands of generations? If such do occur, can we doubt that individuals having any advantage, however slight, over others, would have the best chance for surviving and of procreating their kind? On the other hand, we may feel sure that any variation in the least degree injurious would be rigidly destroyed. This preservation of favorable variations and the rejection of injurious variations, I call Natural Selection.” (1)
The Human Genome - The Case for a Creator
I must briefly comment on The History Channel’s recently aired two hour program titled “How Life Began.” I watched it, curious to find out what the latest thinking is regarding this subject. The show should have been titled “How DID Life Begin?” Throughout the program, we were taken through a Life Factory that can create living cells. In one segment, the “goop” destined to become a living cell, disappeared behind a curtain and the narrator said something like, “We don’t really know what happens behind that curtain, but somehow a living cell emerges.” The rest of the program (most of it) was a case study in Evolution. The program was full of speculative explanations for how life began and has “evolved” into the diversity we see today in the world around us. It made the case that everything has been figured out except for a few nagging details and none of the many difficulties with the Neo-Darwinian Theory of Evolution were discussed. In summary, there’s nothing new here. Click HERE for a more thorough review of the program.
Now, for the good stuff. I’ve been doing a lot of research on DNA, gene theory, etc. and find the topic fascinating. The complexity of DNA, coding and manufacturing mechanisms is astoundingly complex.
Update on Louisiana Science Education Act - Evolution, Global Warming, Human Cloning
Science, Religion Sqare Off in Baton Rouge [LA]
Link to original article on WDSU.com website
Evolution is starting to lose ground within the public education system as more and more evidence from the study of the human genome is revealed that debunks the primary axiom of the Neo Darwinian Theory (NDT): Man is the product of random mutation and natural selection. As it turns out, random genetic mutation cannot be the mechanism that provides the phenotype variation required by NDT.
BATON ROUGE, La. — Arguments over science and religion have resumed at the state Capitol with a House panel approving a bill to let public school teachers offer alternatives to evolutionary theory and a Senate committee voting to ban government funding for what is often called “therapeutic cloning.”
Proponents said the bill approved Wednesday by the House Education Committee would promote “critical analysis” of scientific issues including cloning, evolution and global warming. Opponents said it is an attempt to inject religion into science classes.
The other bill, approved by the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, would outlaw government funding for therapeutic cloning - the asexual creation of an early stage human embryo for the harvesting of stem cells that scientists hope could be used to cure disease. Opponents said the process destroys human life.
Evolution and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
When I was attending Louisiana Tech University, I attended a class called Classical Thermodynamics as part of the Electrical Engineering curriculum. One of the curious things about the class was the particular book we used authored by Dr. Gordon J. Van Wylen and Dr. Richard E. Sonntag (Fundamentals of Classical Thermodynamics). This textbook was in its second edition then. I just checked and it is still available (7th edition) and considered the leading textbook in its field.
At the end of the chapter on the Second Law of Thermodynamics the authors state the following:
The final point to be made is that the second law of thermodynamics and the principle of the increase of entropy have philosophical implications. {skipped text} The authors see the second law of thermodynamics as man’s description of the prior and continuing work of the creator, who also holds the answer to the future destiny of man and the universe.
“Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed” - Are dissenting views of Evolution being suppressed by Academia?
The Dissent of Men and the Rise of their Oppressors - by Mark Looy, AiG-US
Here is a video interview with Ben Stein on “Expelled.”
Here is the movie’s official website.
Is life the product of billions of years and chance?
Big Science teaches that all living things are the product of time and chance as proposed by Neo-Darwinism or current evolutionary theory. It is taught in public schools as fact when it is at BEST a weak theory based on many unproven assumptions. However, as science marches forward, this theory is developing cracks and is beginning to crumble under the weight of serious scrutiny. Here I will document a few thought provoking “challenges” evolution faces.
Intelligence Gap
As I look around at nature, I see a huge amount of variety among both the plant and animal kingdom. You can almost sense a statistically uniform distribution of characteristics, attributes, etc. from least complex to most complex. For example, one could argue the difference in physical complexity between a chimpanzee and a human is not that great. Both have similarly complex DNA, organs, etc. However, there is at least one anomaly that can be observed - the gap in intelligence between humans and the next most intelligent life form. If one could measure and then graph the intelligence of all life forms, the graph might look like the following:
Has the Bible been accurately reproduced over time?
New Testament Analysis
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Matt. 24:35
The short answer is a resounding YES. The first time I studied this topic, I was shocked at the numbers involved. Let’s take a look.
We are trying to determine how accurately a modern copy of the New Testament represents the original manuscripts, not whether it is divinely inspired or true. That is a topic for another day.
Textual Criticism is a method used to evaluate any ancient text. Two key metrics in the analysis are 1) how many hand written copies exist and 2) how close in time to the original manuscript were they written. From Wikipedia:
How Do We Discover Truth?
As we have discussed, truth is that which corresponds our metaphysical reality. Truth is discovered, not created and we agree that truth is knowable by starting with self-evident First Principles. So, how do we go about discovering truth?
We discover truth by using Reason and Logic. Reason is a type of thought and logic is used to define formal methods of reasoning used to reach conclusions. If two people agree upon a logical method of reasoning, then they should be able to reach conclusions that they both agree with. Logical methods were devised to provide a framework to support conclusions that, at least if one accepts the method as valid, cannot be refuted. One common type of logic used by scientists is called Deductive Reasoning. Read the rest of this entry »
Is Truth Knowable?
“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8: 31-32
There are branches of philosophy, epistemology and ontology, dedicated to the study of this question. Where does one start when asking this question? The First Principles of Knowledge is where science and philosophy start. They are similar to axioms in mathematics and both are considered to be self-evident and need no further proof of their truthfulness. The great philosopher Aristotle contributed what is considered to be “The First Principle” when he stated, “For the same characteristic simultaneously to belong and not belong to the same object in the same way is impossible.” Think about that for a minute! The first principle of Non-contradiction is based on this statement. Read the rest of this entry »