Search found 46 matches

by BobSmith
Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:51 pm
Forum: God and Science
Topic: Evolution and Intelligent Design
Replies: 69
Views: 19037

Anyway it has been fun discussing this all with you, but if you don't mind these will be my last posts as I am spending way too long online nowadays and I am trying to stop. I think ultimately you won the debate here (most people think so anyway)...that is unless you fluff up your next reply ;) I wi...
by BobSmith
Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:41 pm
Forum: God and Science
Topic: Evolution and Intelligent Design
Replies: 69
Views: 19037

If we found a planet full of organisms with uncomplex structures and low information content it wouldn't prove they hadn't been intelligently designed. So ID fits no matter what the pattern of the evidence found. What planet is that? This is curious speculation on your part, we are dealing with wha...
by BobSmith
Mon Apr 25, 2005 7:57 pm
Forum: God and Science
Topic: Evolution and Intelligent Design
Replies: 69
Views: 19037

As far as I can see Intelligent Design is not a scientific position because it has no way of being potentially disproved Um...circular reasoning, leaps of faith, and, now, hypocrisy :roll: In what way is that hypocritical? It would only be hypocritical if Evolution had no way of being potentially f...
by BobSmith
Mon Apr 25, 2005 7:55 pm
Forum: God and Science
Topic: Evolution and Intelligent Design
Replies: 69
Views: 19037

That is not consistent with the Cambrian, when all the phyla appeared quite suddenly. There is no proof for stasis, just Gould's theory. It cannot explain the sudden appearance of phyla, with no precursors. Punctuated equilibrium is a circular argument to attempt to explain the Cambrian. PE is not ...
by BobSmith
Sun Apr 24, 2005 1:42 pm
Forum: God and Science
Topic: Evolution and Intelligent Design
Replies: 69
Views: 19037

Do you know of any feature of the fossil record which Intelligent Design expects to be found in the future? Not only the fossil record but also in general, as a part of ID theory: (1) High information content machine-like irreducibly complex structures will be found. If we found a planet full of or...
by BobSmith
Sun Apr 24, 2005 1:24 pm
Forum: God and Science
Topic: Evolution and Intelligent Design
Replies: 69
Views: 19037

I think you are somewhat simplifying a complex argument. If you are basing your belief purely on the fossil record, then it is a leap of faith not supported by sufficient evidence, as can be seen from the quotes above I know what many of the quotes are getting at. It the the argument is over two me...
by BobSmith
Sat Apr 23, 2005 3:42 pm
Forum: God and Science
Topic: Evolution and Intelligent Design
Replies: 69
Views: 19037

Have you ever seen the fossil record? It doesn't correspond with evolution. At all. I am not a paleontologist so I haven't even physically looked at any fossil (it would do no good anyway as I won't understand the features). All my understanding is through reading about it online and in books where...
by BobSmith
Sat Apr 23, 2005 3:25 pm
Forum: God and Science
Topic: Evolution and Intelligent Design
Replies: 69
Views: 19037

If I wan't to capitalize THEORY, I can, because it's just that, a THEORY with holes and gaps Sure you can. Just like the THEORY of gravitation has holes and gaps. And the THEORY of relativity, quantum THEORY, the THEORY of flight, germ THEORY of disease...etc. All scientific theories have holes and...
by BobSmith
Sat Apr 16, 2005 3:35 am
Forum: Moral and Ethical Affairs
Topic: Terri Shiavo's quality of life
Replies: 44
Views: 13328

It's wonderful that even though you disagree you are still able to give each other magic sparkling stars (******) in this discussion
by BobSmith
Fri Apr 15, 2005 3:43 am
Forum: Philosophical Discussions
Topic: Can robots become self-aware?
Replies: 131
Views: 40465

I'm only trying to get you to consider that not as much is known as you might think, and that all scientific theory has the potential to be reworked and/or dismissed. And I am trying to get you to consider that more is known than you might think. That mutations occur and can cause resistance is a k...
by BobSmith
Wed Apr 13, 2005 3:39 pm
Forum: Philosophical Discussions
Topic: Can robots become self-aware?
Replies: 131
Views: 40465

No, I don't think that expirement shows that restistance evolves from mutation prior to being exposed by the virus (which actually would be good enough). In order to show that, each culture would have had to start from an individual cell, so that all offspring would have the same DNA unless some ha...
by BobSmith
Mon Apr 11, 2005 6:07 pm
Forum: Philosophical Discussions
Topic: Can robots become self-aware?
Replies: 131
Views: 40465

Interesting link... I'd like to point out that the expirement was done "starting each culture with a small number of cells" when really what's required is to start each one with a single cell, in order to ensure that all bacteria starts with the same DNA. Yes that is true. The experiment ...
by BobSmith
Mon Apr 11, 2005 4:30 pm
Forum: Philosophical Discussions
Topic: Can robots become self-aware?
Replies: 131
Views: 40465

Dan: Most mutations are detrimental to the organism that has the mutation, for evolution to occur (and this is macroevolution where new beneficial information is added, not microevolution where existing data is simply optimized and streamlined) the ratio of negative to positive mutations has to be ...
by BobSmith
Mon Apr 11, 2005 4:26 pm
Forum: Philosophical Discussions
Topic: Can robots become self-aware?
Replies: 131
Views: 40465

There is a form of sexual reproduction. I forgot how it goes, but it involes a tube between two bacteria where DNA is transferred....and probably more I forgot. There are forms of gene transfer between bacteria, but it isn't sexual reproduction (two parents mixing DNA). Some bacteria such as yeast ...
by BobSmith
Mon Apr 11, 2005 3:05 pm
Forum: Philosophical Discussions
Topic: Can robots become self-aware?
Replies: 131
Views: 40465

I'm not convinced that mutations are the cause here. http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BC/Bacterial_Mutations.html It turned out that the number of resistant bacteria varied greatly between cultures; the fluctuations in payoff were far too great to be accounted for purely by chance. These fluct...