[meteorite-list] Kansas Legal Debate: Creation, Evolution andIntelligent Design

From: Marc Fries <m.fries_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat May 14 09:27:21 2005
Message-ID: <1339.69.140.92.248.1116077130.squirrel_at_webmail.ciw.edu>

Howdy

    Actually, they are part of the "design". So is your appendix, which
serves you no purpose. Same thing for your nipples and for your body
hair, which is insufficient to actually keep you warm. Same thing for a
whale's relict pelvis, and on and on and on and on... These are examples
of the bits and pieces left over from billions of years'worth of trial and
error through evolution.
    There is no place for intelligent design other than the trash can. It
is too simplistic to be actually useful. We can look out the window or
hold a meteorite in our hands and see the incredible complexity of the
universe, and we can apply our intelligence and reason to it and gain an
appreciation and some level of understanding of it. We as humans are
unique among the known creatures in that we have the power to do that, and
if I were more religious I might be forced to conclude that we were given
our unique mental capacity with the expectation that we actually use it.
   The most offensive thing to me about creationism/intelligent design
(and they are the same thing) is that it tells us to shut down our
appreciation for the wonder of the universe. All of "creation", it tells
us, is the product of a magic act. God waved his magic fairy wand and it
all sprung into existence - that's all there is to it. The universe is no
longer an evolving, dynamic place but rather the detritus of pixie dust.
You can string that magic act out into a
series of minor magic acts over the milennium and call it "intelligent
design", but it's really the same thing. I don't think that this gives
the big guy enough credit, to put it lightly. It also squanders our
capacity to truly investigate, understand, and appreciate our universe.

Cheers,
MDF

> I think that there is a bit of truth to all of it, Creation, Evolution
and
> Intellegent intervention/design.
>
> Your examples of "Fallen arches, acid reflux, cancer, failing eyesight" are
> not "part" of the design. They are the result of using a given design
beyond
> the operational envelope of the particular design. Cancer, I believe is
a
> product of our 5000 years of cesspool environmental practices, add the
industrial revolution and the millions of tons of toxins that are in the
lifecycles of this biosphere and cancers are inevitable even in the best
design.
> Most people I know with foot problems are either out of shape or
overweight,
> acid reflux is simply another example of operation of the design outside
its
> capabilities. Unless you are getting naturally grown food from OFF of
this
> planet then I do not care if you are a herbivore, carnivore or and omnivore
> you are ingesting filth, toxins and decay of the past 3 centuries at least.
> Add to that the processed crap that most people gorge themselves on and
it
> is no wonder that our stomachs work at all.
>
> No you will have to make a better arguement against intelligent design than
> that.
>
> I personally like to call it intelligent "Intervention", perhaps God/the
intellegence did not stick around to perfect the design. Instead this
God/the intelligence , found something already in the process...maybe
from
> evolution. Seeing that it could use some "seasoning", like all good
chefs
> added some spice to the life already beginning on this planet. Maybe
that
> is
> where creation comes in.
>
> Who knows, maybe we will find out someday that our double helix DNA is
responsible for all of it....more than half of all the material that
makes
> up our DNA does nothing but insure the replication of itself, then we share
> almost 95% of the stuff with all other living things here. Sounds pretty
suspicous to me....something that devotes more than half of its
structure
> and operation to its own self preservation and is intimately linked to
everything on this planet...if that is not intellgence I do not know
what
> is
> and that leaves out the fact that 4 simple chemicals is all this stuff
is
> made of and all you need to is combine the stuff correctly and it can
make
> anything out of itself....(cue twilight zone music).
>
> Too many "missing links" in evolution, too much "take it on faith" in
religion and way too many
> wonderful things that we can not explain, that I will not hold up to chance
> happening.
>
> I like to believe, no matter what faith, with or without religon, that
all
> of us will know the wonders of us, our world and the universe someday
and
> it
> will all be revealed when we leave this existance...until then we get to
debate.
>
> And that leads me to communication, another part of the design....think for
> a moment how lousy life would be if we had not developed our
communication
> to level beyond common mammals.
>
> You did make a good point though when you said "that the ways of God are
myterious and not within mortal understanding?"
>
> What fun would it be and what would anyone have to look forward to if we
had
> all the answers. Our suffering here, our experiences here, are all
preparation for what is ahead. Till then we get to wonder and talk about
it!
>
> Thanks for listening....
>
> Mark M.
> Phoenix AZ
>
>

-- 
Marc Fries
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Carnegie Institution of Washington
Geophysical Laboratory
5251 Broad Branch Rd. NW
Washington, DC 20015
PH:  202 478 7970
FAX: 202 478 8901
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Received on Sat 14 May 2005 09:25:30 AM PDT