Wings
DR. JAMES ADAMS
jadams at Carpet.dalton.peachnet.edu
Thu Sep 10 15:24:35 EDT 1998
Dear Mark and listers,
Mark Walker wrote:
> I apologize for the editorial remark. I still feel that way, but
> I'll be sure and keep it to myself next time. NOT.
Apology not necessary, but accepted anyway. And I'm glad you won't
keep things to yourself (I haven't noticed this being a problem for
you!). That would defeat the whole purpose of the discussion list
after all, and I love your field reports!
> As far as I'm
> concerned, the miracle of metamorphosis is just one of many very convincing
> evidences of divine purpose, a thing that John Grehan has not embraced -
> yet.
I am *not* convinced of divine purpose in this, and feel that divine
purpose is a separate issue anyway. Also, I must admit that I'm not
certain from John's remarks that he embraces much *purpose* in
anything! His questions seem more metaphysical than anything else.
> Mutation a "creative force"? I think not. A decay of order, a
> jumbling of information, a mistake of nature. Left to its own, the result
> would be chaos, an eventual decline of life as we know it. Isn't this a
> scientific position? Aren't all of the laws of physics in agreement?
This is apparently the point where Mark and I differ the most. Since
mutations are *random*, *most* do result in a jumble of information
that doesn't do an organism any good whatsoever. But random does
carry with it the possibility that new proteins could then be made by
an organism that couldn't make these proteins before, and these
proteins could be beneficial. This does *not* go against the laws of
physics. Indeed, if life is made "better" by one of these mutations
then it would go against the laws of physics if these mutations were
not *maintained* in the population.
>. . . Remember that we are talking about millions and millions
> > of years here.
> >
> "We" are not.
I could make some comment here about how impossible it should be for
intelligent people *not* to believe that the earth is very old,
but . . .
James
More information about the Leps-l
mailing list