cofty

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Posts by cofty

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  205

  Mathematically Measuring Evolution.

  by towerwatchman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  mathematically measuring evolution.. when judging relationships in terms of morphological characteristics we will always be bound by the subjective.

  morphologically one cannot exactly measure the distance between two organisms strictly in mathematical terms.

  using the standard method of taxonomy we cannot quantify the difference between a horse and a mouse, or know which is closer mouse to cat, or mouse to fish.

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  cofty

  I posted this as irrefutable proof your OP is nonsense. You have yet to acknowledge it.

  

  
  
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  205

  Mathematically Measuring Evolution.

  by towerwatchman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  mathematically measuring evolution.. when judging relationships in terms of morphological characteristics we will always be bound by the subjective.

  morphologically one cannot exactly measure the distance between two organisms strictly in mathematical terms.

  using the standard method of taxonomy we cannot quantify the difference between a horse and a mouse, or know which is closer mouse to cat, or mouse to fish.

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  cofty

  I know a great deal about genetics. If we didn't have a single fossil we learn everything about evolution just from comparative genetics.

  You are too ignorant of the topic - and too arrogant - to hold a useful conversation.

  I have posted tons of evidence to refute your superstitious bullshit but like all creationists you are too dishonest to even acknowledge it. You are the least interesting person the forum has had for a long time.
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  7

  The Modern Mind

  by towerwatchman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  we believe in marx freud and darwin.

  we believe everything is ok as long as you don’t hurt anyone to the best of your definition of hurt, and to the best of your knowledge.. we believe in sex before, during, and after marriage.. we believe in the therapy of sin.. we believe that adultery is fun.. we believe that sodomy’s ok.. we believe that taboos are taboo.. we believe that everything’s getting better despite evidence to the contrary.. the evidence must be investigated, and you can prove anything with evidence.. we believe there’s something in horoscopes, ufo’s and bent spoons.. jesus was a good man just like buddha, mohammed, and ourselves.. he was a good moral teacher though we think, his good morals were bad.. we believe that all religions are basically the same-at least the one that we read was.. they all believe in love and goodness.. they only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, god, and salvation.. we believe that after death comes the nothing, because when you ask the dead what happens.

  they say nothing.. if death is not the end, if the dead have lied, then its compulsory heaven for all excepting perhaps.

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  cofty

  The arrogance of some christians is astonishing.
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  63

  Evolution is a Fact #27 - Monkeys, Typewriters, Shakespeare, 747s etc.

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  most creationist arguments can be summarised as "complexity, complexity, complexity - therefore god".

  we have all heard the illustrations about the odds of (insert favourite example) evolving, being less than 10,000 monkeys typing macbeth by pure chance.

  evolution is not like that.

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  cofty

  to have perfect selection in one generation, you had to pay the price of the elimination of the other 9,999 in that same generation (destroying your population) for the evolutionary scenario to work. - Hooby

  This is just gibberish.

  I'm tempted to leave it there but I won't.

  Take the example mentioned in the OP. (Did you bother to read it?)

  In birds who see UV light a point mutation has occurred at position 90 on the SWS opsin gene changing the first letter from "AGC" which produces the amino acid serine to "TGC" which produces cysteine. This single substitution slightly changes the physical shape of the protein molecule changing its sensitivity from violet light with wavelengths of 405 nm to ultraviolet at 360-370 nm.

  The first bird to experience that mutation would have the advantage of being better able to spot caterpillars with UV markings. Let's say it was part of a local breeding population of 10,000 birds.

  All the other 9,999 birds would continue to survive and breed successfully, but our UV-sensing bird would on average leave more descendants than the others. The difference would only be measurable over many generations but the percentage of birds in the population with this mutation would gradually tend towards 100%.

  Natural selection preserves advantageous changes in the gene-pool - unless of course the first UV-sensitive bird got eaten by a sparrowhawk before it got time to breed. Such is life.

  Measuring the rate of mutations and their effects on a population is a field of research with some of the most amazing mathematical minds in science. What are the chances somebody who has never read a book about the evidence for evolution has spotted something basic that they all missed?
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  98

  Evolution Deniers - An Endangered Species

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  evolution explains how everything descended from a common ancestor over millions of years.

  creationists only seem to want to talk about what came before that common ancestor.

  just for the sake of discussion let's pretend that the following is true.

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  cofty

  Yes Redvip sadly creationism is alive and well in the old colony. In the UK most Christians who describe themselves as "bible-believing" or evangelical would not accept that humans evolved from non-human ancestors.

  More traditional C of E and catholics generally have no problem with it although some of them tend to muddy the waters when it comes to the origin of humans.

  The real point of my OP is that common ancestry of all living things is an established fact that stands alone regardless of questions about the origin of life or cosmic origins.

  Evolution does not belong to atheism.
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  98

  Evolution Deniers - An Endangered Species

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  evolution explains how everything descended from a common ancestor over millions of years.

  creationists only seem to want to talk about what came before that common ancestor.

  just for the sake of discussion let's pretend that the following is true.

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  cofty

  I hope this doesn't lead to 50 pages of Roman Catholic dogma about souls but it probably will.

  How fucking depressing!
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  98

  Evolution Deniers - An Endangered Species

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  evolution explains how everything descended from a common ancestor over millions of years.

  creationists only seem to want to talk about what came before that common ancestor.

  just for the sake of discussion let's pretend that the following is true.

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  cofty

  Oh shit you really are!

  Any port in a storm.
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  98

  Evolution Deniers - An Endangered Species

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  evolution explains how everything descended from a common ancestor over millions of years.

  creationists only seem to want to talk about what came before that common ancestor.

  just for the sake of discussion let's pretend that the following is true.

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  cofty

  I'm not going to follow that link right now John but I really hope you are not going to try to find solace in mitochondrial eve.
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  315

  Atheism = self defeating.

  by towerwatchman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  atheism = self defeating.

  first may we define our terms.

  the word atheism comes literally from the greek, alpha the negative and theos [for god], therefore “negative god” or there is no god.

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  cofty

  There is no evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.
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  98

  Evolution Deniers - An Endangered Species

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  evolution explains how everything descended from a common ancestor over millions of years.

  creationists only seem to want to talk about what came before that common ancestor.

  just for the sake of discussion let's pretend that the following is true.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  cofty

  Belief in a literal original human couple and a fall from perfection has been impacted by scientific discovery. But less so among protestant evangelicals and Muslims.

  It goes without saying that belief in human creation was not universal before Darwin. Surely everybody knows that and only smug pendants feel the need to say so?