Evolutionary questions.

by sleepy 15 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  D wiltshire

  Sleepy,
  Why not do your own personal reseach on it and post a thread on what you find that way we all benifit.

  If someone lived a trillion X longer than you, and had a billion X more reasoning ability would he come to the same conclusions as you?
• 

  Mr Ben

  Sleepy,

  You are guaranteed to be disappointed if you search for scientific “truth.” There is no such thing. There is only theory. If we had thought that Newtonian physics was “truth,” why search for an alternative? Admittedly, some theories are so well established that that we no longer call them theories in everyday speech, such as the Heliocentric Theory. There are a lot of facts (evidence) to support that theory, but it will never become “truth.” It just sits and waits, and if no better theory replaces it then it remains, sitting and waiting on the theory shelf, but never quite making it to the truth shelf.

  Don’t search for “truth” in science, for there isn’t such a thing, and you will only be disappointed. There are facts, and these fact do or do not fit theories. That’s as good as it gets I’m afraid. But it is a very good system which has uncovered amazing things about ourselves and our universe.

  Religion n.
  An organisation designed to promote atheism.
• 

  sleepy

  Mr Ben

  I don't expect to be able to discover the full "truth" , just get a little closer.
  Whats the harm in questioning and trying?
  If we didn't question were would we be now , in the Kingdom Hall?
• 

  Mr Ben

  Sleepy,

  I heartily agree. If we ever arrive at something we believe is the final “truth,” then we will have no reason to keep questioning.

  Long live doubt! (For I doubt we’d live long without it.)

  Religion n.
  An organisation designed to promote atheism.
• 

  Carmel

  Sleepy,

  You've identified one of the conundrums of evolutionary theory. If humans, which are one of the very youngest of the panoply of species, developed speach, why didn't older species that have been around for eons? Certainly, one would think speach would have a survival advantage, and the more complex the better for abstract thinking and expression. Why only humans? It really gets down to evolution likely being a mechanism for creative expression with a purposeful "creator".

  On the other hand, I've not yet seen or heard the non-theist explanation.

  cheers,

  carmel
• 

  Mr Ben

  carmel
  

  If humans, which are one of the very youngest of the panoply of species, developed speach, why didn't older species that have been around for eons?

  When you say "humans", do you mean Homo sapiens? What about Neanderthals? Whilst they were human, most theists exclude them as they are a different species of human to Adam & Jesus, as well being before Adam, so why did they die? Anyway, it is proved that they used art – which requires abstract thought. Art and language are sufficiently similar to theorise that they did indeed speak.

  Why only humans? It really gets down to evolution likely being a mechanism for creative expression with a purposeful "creator".

  Well, we can’t be sure about that, can we? And if we are going to move from fact to assertion, then I could say that squid use a complex language system, but they use colour as the symbol instead of hand-written script, and, well heck, they don’t have hands! What about parrots? No, seriously, parrots can learn English. But we don’t understand parrot yet. What about aliens, or even angels for that matter?

  Even if the first assertion is correct, that it is only humans, the second assertion does not automatically follow. There is nothing wrong believing that if you want to, so long as you realise that it is a belief that does not follow from the first assertion.

  Religion n.
  An organisation designed to promote atheism.