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DoubtingTom
New Member
USA
1 Post |
 Posted - 02/23/2007 : 19:23:13 [Permalink]
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| Yes, they will talk the talk but they will not publish a scientific paper for peer review. I rest my case. |
DoubtingTom |
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Neurosis
SFN Regular
USA
675 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2007 : 22:09:18 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by HalfMooner
Old Bill conveniently ignores the fact that evolution is about increased survival capacity, not "direction." Whales, for instance, did not "devolve" by losing the function of their real legs. They simply tossed out appendages that served their ancestors well on land, but got in the way of efficient swimming as their tail flukes took over primary aquatic propulsion.
Any "direction" is the "right" direction, so long as it works. Of course Dembski is not looking to shine a light on nature, but to cast the dark, obscuring shadow of Creationism over it.
In his mind there will always need to be a direction. If god directs things, things are always under control. Paste that onto evolution and you get a directed purposeful process and an easy strawman. The evidence for evolution is almost always a back slap to the purposeful and mindful plan of god. Questions like why vestigial structures or why such a greusome method of passing on the genes, like brain burrowing larva, need no answers with a non-thinking or non-purposeful process. If creationst can attribute such purpose to evolution, then it becomes a competing god. One can say why would god do that, and why would evolution do that. The answer for god would be lacking and an example of her character. The answer for evolution would be no answer, for it has no direction but efficiency. It is cold and uncaring, just as the struggle of nature is. Making evolution into a fool, as god is made into when closely examining nature, is just another example of trying for the equal footing argument. |
Facts! Pssh, you can prove anything even remotely true with facts.
- Homer Simpson
[God] is an infinite nothing from nowhere with less power over our universe than the secretary of agriculture.
- Prof. Frink
Lisa: Yes, but wouldn't you rather know the truth than to delude yourself for happiness?
Marge: Well... um.... [goes outside to jump on tampoline with Homer.] |
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Hawks
SFN Regular
Canada
1383 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2007 : 00:55:13 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Starman
Pretty soon anything that comes out of the DI crowd will have to be posted in the Humor folder:
Bill Dembski claims: quote:
Vestigial structures in biology are commonly cited as evidence for evolution, and it may well be that they did evolve. But if it is evidence of evolution, it is evolution in the wrong direction — it's not the sort of function enhancing/innovating evolution that is supposed to give evolutionary theory its bite. Vestigial structures, after all, are structures that have lost their function. If all of evolution proceeded in this fashion, we'd quickly descend to a world of nonfunctionality.
Apart from the "directional" mistake that HalfMooner pointed out, Bill also doesn't know that vestigial doesn't necessarily mean non-functional.
In the next paragraph, Bill claims that vestigial "stuff" is compatible with ID. Duh. EVERYTHING is compatible with ID (apart from the obvious statement that there has never been any intelligent intervention)! Ah, yes. Bill Dembski - leader of a scientific movement. |
METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL
It's a small, off-duty czechoslovakian traffic warden! |
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R.Wreck
SFN Regular
USA
1191 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2007 : 08:55:23 [Permalink]
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quote:
Dembski:
If all of evolution proceeded in this fashion, we'd quickly descend to a world of nonfunctionality.
How ironic that Bill, along with all his buddies in the Dishonesty Institute clown car, is leading the descent into intellectual nonfunctionality. |
The foundation of morality is to . . . give up pretending to believe that for which there is no evidence, and repeating unintelligible propositions about things beyond the possibliities of knowledge.
T. H. Huxley
The Cattle Prod of Enlightened Compassion
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2007 : 11:07:41 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by DoubtingTom
Yes, they will talk the talk but they will not publish a scientific paper for peer review. I rest my case.
Welcome to SFN, DT. It is true that the ID people have little to show for their efforts in terms of peer-reviewed material. But that doesn't stop them from holding conferences and charging dupes $55 to hear them crow! |
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Hawks
SFN Regular
Canada
1383 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2007 : 17:00:24 [Permalink]
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| Bill is at it again. I won't link to his latest escape into ID madness (but you can find it at uncommondescent, Feb 24th, 2007). This time he talks about how vestigial structures can be CONVERGENT by design. I'll repeat what I said in a comment above: Duh. EVERYTHING is compatible with ID (apart from the obvious statement that there has never been any intelligent intervention)! Ah, yes. Bill Dembski - leader of a scientific movement. Now 99.99% intelligence-free. |
METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL
It's a small, off-duty czechoslovakian traffic warden! |
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