• Re: The "God of the gaps" objection

    From =?UTF-8?B?w5bDtiBUaWli?=@21:1/5 to MarkE on Sat Dec 2 06:57:31 2023
    On Saturday, 2 December 2023 at 06:26:56 UTC+2, MarkE wrote:
    Here is one author's response to this objection, which is frequently raised on TO. I've previously claimed that the scientific evidence, especially for OOL, points instead to a "God of the growing gulf".

    OBJECTION: Your argument is a plea to the “God of the gaps.” Just because science doesn’t have all the answers doesn’t mean that we have to invoke God to fill the gaps.

    RESPONSE: The entirety of this book seeks to provide a proper scope to the “gap.” The Stairway to Life clarifies that the gap is not simply a missing puzzle piece or a set of unclear details. The gap is, in fact, the entirety of the origin of life.
    And the gap is growing over time as we learn more about the complexity of cells and as efforts to produce components of life via realistic prebiotic approaches fail. As we have mentioned, additional steps will be added to the Stairway to Life over time.
    These steps will come from previously unexplored processes that are required for life. For example, we mentioned in Chapter 17 that the current best approximation of a minimal cell that can reproduce autonomously includes 493 genes [201]. This same
    report specifies that 91 of the 493 genes perform unknown functions. Therefore, about 20% of the minimal genome codes for functions that we have not yet explored. Further, the genome is not the only information contained in life. We are just beginning to
    explore other forms of information found in living organisms, such as the sugar code that encapsulates cells [226]. Future exploration in these areas will result in new steps in the Stairway to Life and an ever-increasing “gap.” The emperor is not
    simply missing a lapel pin; the emperor has no clothes. Our conclusion that creative intelligence was essential to start life is based on what we do know, not on what we don’t know. The arguments in this book do not take the following form: “No one
    knows how life began; therefore, God did it.” Rather, the inference to the need for intelligence in the origin of life follows directly from what we do know about the requirements for life and what we do know about chemistry, physics, thermodynamics,
    and biology. Turning this objection around, choosing to maintain a belief in abiogenesis despite the absence of a reasonable approach to the Stairway to Life is a “materialism-of-the-gaps” approach—i.e., “we don’t know how life began, but we
    know that only natural processes were involved.”

    Tan, Change; Stadler, Rob. The Stairway To Life: An Origin-Of-Life Reality Check (pp. 187-189). Evorevo Books. Kindle Edition.

    Gaps again ... zero alternative stories in that writing to be found.
    His gaps are in clearly incorrect knowledge. How can be 493 genes theoretical minimum? 2016, Craig Venter reported creation of Syn 3.0 that actually lives and
    replicates and has 473 genes. Theoretical minimum is very likely with lot less.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From RonO@21:1/5 to All on Sat Dec 2 10:01:06 2023
    T24gMTIvMi8yMDIzIDg6NTcgQU0sIMOWw7YgVGlpYiB3cm90ZToNCj4gT24gU2F0dXJkYXks IDIgRGVjZW1iZXIgMjAyMyBhdCAwNjoyNjo1NiBVVEMrMiwgTWFya0Ugd3JvdGU6DQo+PiBI ZXJlIGlzIG9uZSBhdXRob3IncyByZXNwb25zZSB0byB0aGlzIG9iamVjdGlvbiwgd2hpY2gg aXMgZnJlcXVlbnRseSByYWlzZWQgb24gVE8uIEkndmUgcHJldmlvdXNseSBjbGFpbWVkIHRo YXQgdGhlIHNjaWVudGlmaWMgZXZpZGVuY2UsIGVzcGVjaWFsbHkgZm9yIE9PTCwgcG9pbnRz IGluc3RlYWQgdG8gYSAiR29kIG9mIHRoZSBncm93aW5nIGd1bGYiLg0KPj4NCj4+IE9CSkVD VElPTjogWW91ciBhcmd1bWVudCBpcyBhIHBsZWEgdG8gdGhlIOKAnEdvZCBvZiB0aGUgZ2Fw cy7igJ0gSnVzdCBiZWNhdXNlIHNjaWVuY2UgZG9lc27igJl0IGhhdmUgYWxsIHRoZSBhbnN3 ZXJzIGRvZXNu4oCZdCBtZWFuIHRoYXQgd2UgaGF2ZSB0byBpbnZva2UgR29kIHRvIGZpbGwg dGhlIGdhcHMuDQo+Pg0KPj4gUkVTUE9OU0U6IFRoZSBlbnRpcmV0eSBvZiB0aGlzIGJvb2sg c2Vla3MgdG8gcHJvdmlkZSBhIHByb3BlciBzY29wZSB0byB0aGUg4oCcZ2FwLuKAnSBUaGUg U3RhaXJ3YXkgdG8gTGlmZSBjbGFyaWZpZXMgdGhhdCB0aGUgZ2FwIGlzIG5vdCBzaW1wbHkg YSBtaXNzaW5nIHB1enpsZSBwaWVjZSBvciBhIHNldCBvZiB1bmNsZWFyIGRldGFpbHMuIFRo ZSBnYXAgaXMsIGluIGZhY3QsIHRoZSBlbnRpcmV0eSBvZiB0aGUgb3JpZ2luIG9mIGxpZmUu IEFuZCB0aGUgZ2FwIGlzIGdyb3dpbmcgb3ZlciB0aW1lIGFzIHdlIGxlYXJuIG1vcmUgYWJv dXQgdGhlIGNvbXBsZXhpdHkgb2YgY2VsbHMgYW5kIGFzIGVmZm9ydHMgdG8gcHJvZHVjZSBj b21wb25lbnRzIG9mIGxpZmUgdmlhIHJlYWxpc3RpYyBwcmViaW90aWMgYXBwcm9hY2hlcyBm YWlsLiBBcyB3ZSBoYXZlIG1lbnRpb25lZCwgYWRkaXRpb25hbCBzdGVwcyB3aWxsIGJlIGFk ZGVkIHRvIHRoZSBTdGFpcndheSB0byBMaWZlIG92ZXIgdGltZS4gVGhlc2Ugc3RlcHMgd2ls bCBjb21lIGZyb20gcHJldmlvdXNseSB1bmV4cGxvcmVkIHByb2Nlc3NlcyB0aGF0IGFyZSBy ZXF1aXJlZCBmb3IgbGlmZS4gRm9yIGV4YW1wbGUsIHdlIG1lbnRpb25lZCBpbiBDaGFwdGVy IDE3IHRoYXQgdGhlIGN1cnJlbnQgYmVzdCBhcHByb3hpbWF0aW9uIG9mIGEgbWluaW1hbCBj ZWxsIHRoYXQgY2FuIHJlcHJvZHVjZSBhdXRvbm9tb3VzbHkgaW5jbHVkZXMgNDkzIGdlbmVz IFsyMDFdLiBUaGlzIHNhbWUgcmVwb3J0IHNwZWNpZmllcyB0aGF0IDkxIG9mIHRoZSA0OTMg Z2VuZXMgcGVyZm9ybSB1bmtub3duIGZ1bmN0aW9ucy4gVGhlcmVmb3JlLCBhYm91dCAyMCUg b2YgdGhlIG1pbmltYWwgZ2Vub21lIGNvZGVzIGZvciBmdW5jdGlvbnMgdGhhdCB3ZSBoYXZl IG5vdCB5ZXQgZXhwbG9yZWQuIEZ1cnRoZXIsIHRoZSBnZW5vbWUgaXMgbm90IHRoZSBvbmx5 IGluZm9ybWF0aW9uIGNvbnRhaW5lZCBpbiBsaWZlLiBXZSBhcmUganVzdCBiZWdpbm5pbmcg dG8gZXhwbG9yZSBvdGhlciBmb3JtcyBvZiBpbmZvcm1hdGlvbiBmb3VuZCBpbiBsaXZpbmcg b3JnYW5pc21zLCBzdWNoIGFzIHRoZSBzdWdhciBjb2RlIHRoYXQgZW5jYXBzdWxhdGVzIGNl bGxzIFsyMjZdLiBGdXR1cmUgZXhwbG9yYXRpb24gaW4gdGhlc2UgYXJlYXMgd2lsbCByZXN1 bHQgaW4gbmV3IHN0ZXBzIGluIHRoZSBTdGFpcndheSB0byBMaWZlIGFuZCBhbiBldmVyLWlu Y3JlYXNpbmcg4oCcZ2FwLuKAnSBUaGUgZW1wZXJvciBpcyBub3Qgc2ltcGx5IG1pc3Npbmcg YSBsYXBlbCBwaW47IHRoZSBlbXBlcm9yIGhhcyBubyBjbG90aGVzLiBPdXIgY29uY2x1c2lv biB0aGF0IGNyZWF0aXZlIGludGVsbGlnZW5jZSB3YXMgZXNzZW50aWFsIHRvIHN0YXJ0IGxp ZmUgaXMgYmFzZWQgb24gd2hhdCB3ZSBkbyBrbm93LCBub3Qgb24gd2hhdCB3ZSBkb27igJl0 IGtub3cuIFRoZSBhcmd1bWVudHMgaW4gdGhpcyBib29rIGRvIG5vdCB0YWtlIHRoZSBmb2xs b3dpbmcgZm9ybTog4oCcTm8gb25lIGtub3dzIGhvdyBsaWZlIGJlZ2FuOyB0aGVyZWZvcmUs IEdvZCBkaWQgaXQu4oCdIFJhdGhlciwgdGhlIGluZmVyZW5jZSB0byB0aGUgbmVlZCBmb3Ig aW50ZWxsaWdlbmNlIGluIHRoZSBvcmlnaW4gb2YgbGlmZSBmb2xsb3dzIGRpcmVjdGx5IGZy b20gd2hhdCB3ZSBkbyBrbm93IGFib3V0IHRoZSByZXF1aXJlbWVudHMgZm9yIGxpZmUgYW5k IHdoYXQgd2UgZG8ga25vdyBhYm91dCBjaGVtaXN0cnksIHBoeXNpY3MsIHRoZXJtb2R5bmFt aWNzLCBhbmQgYmlvbG9neS4gVHVybmluZyB0aGlzIG9iamVjdGlvbiBhcm91bmQsIGNob29z aW5nIHRvIG1haW50YWluIGEgYmVsaWVmIGluIGFiaW9nZW5lc2lzIGRlc3BpdGUgdGhlIGFi c2VuY2Ugb2YgYSByZWFzb25hYmxlIGFwcHJvYWNoIHRvIHRoZSBTdGFpcndheSB0byBMaWZl IGlzIGEg4oCcbWF0ZXJpYWxpc20tb2YtdGhlLWdhcHPigJ0gYXBwcm9hY2jigJRpLmUuLCDi gJx3ZSBkb27igJl0IGtub3cgaG93IGxpZmUgYmVnYW4sIGJ1dCB3ZSBrbm93IHRoYXQgb25s eSBuYXR1cmFsIHByb2Nlc3NlcyB3ZXJlIGludm9sdmVkLuKAnQ0KPj4NCj4+IFRhbiwgQ2hh bmdlOyBTdGFkbGVyLCBSb2IuIFRoZSBTdGFpcndheSBUbyBMaWZlOiBBbiBPcmlnaW4tT2Yt TGlmZSBSZWFsaXR5IENoZWNrIChwcC4gMTg3LTE4OSkuIEV2b3Jldm8gQm9va3MuIEtpbmRs ZSBFZGl0aW9uLg0KPj4NCj4gR2FwcyBhZ2FpbiAuLi4gemVybyBhbHRlcm5hdGl2ZSBzdG9y aWVzIGluIHRoYXQgd3JpdGluZyB0byBiZSBmb3VuZC4NCj4gSGlzIGdhcHMgYXJlIGluIGNs ZWFybHkgaW5jb3JyZWN0IGtub3dsZWRnZS4gSG93IGNhbiBiZSA0OTMgZ2VuZXMgdGhlb3Jl dGljYWwNCj4gbWluaW11bT8gMjAxNiwgQ3JhaWcgVmVudGVyIHJlcG9ydGVkIGNyZWF0aW9u IG9mIFN5biAzLjAgdGhhdCBhY3R1YWxseSBsaXZlcyBhbmQNCj4gcmVwbGljYXRlcyBhbmQg aGFzIDQ3MyBnZW5lcy4gVGhlb3JldGljYWwgbWluaW11bSBpcyB2ZXJ5IGxpa2VseSB3aXRo IGxvdCBsZXNzLg0KPiAgICANCj4gDQoNCkkgYWdyZWUgdGhhdCB0aGUgbWluaW11bSBjYW4n dCBiZSBrbm93biBhdCB0aGlzIHRpbWUuICBZb3UganVzdCBoYXZlIHRvIA0KcmVhbGl6ZSB0 aGF0IHRoZXJlIGhhZCB0byBiZSBzZWxmIHJlcGxpY2F0aW5nICJsaWZlIGZvcm1zIiBiZWZv cmUgdGhlIA0KY3VycmVudCBnZW5ldGljIGNvZGUgZXZvbHZlZC4gIFdoYXQgd2VyZSB0aGVp ciBtaW5pbWFsIHJlcXVpcmVtZW50cz8gDQpXb3VsZCB0aGVzZSBlYXJseSBzZWxmIHJlcGxp Y2F0b3JzIGhhdmUgYW55dGhpbmcgdGhhdCB3ZSB3b3VsZCBjYWxsIGEgDQpnZW5lPyAgQXQg c29tZSBwb2ludCBSTkEgZXZvbHZlZCwgYW5kIHlvdSBzdGFydGVkIHRvIGhhdmUgUk5BIGJh c2VkIA0KImdlbmVzIi4gIFdlIHdvdWxkIG5lZWQgdG8gZmlndXJlIG91dCB0aGUgbWluaW11 bSBmb3IgdGhvc2UgZ2VuZXMuIEROQSANCm1heSBoYXZlIGV2b2x2ZWQgdG8gZWZmaWNpZW50 bHkgcmVwbGljYXRlIHRoZSBSTkEgImdlbmVzIi4gIFRoZSBnZW5ldGljIA0KY29kZSBtYXkg aGF2ZSBldm9sdmVkIGFmdGVyIHRoaXMuICBWZW50ZXIncyBtaW5pbWFsIGNlbGwgaGFkIGEg Z2VuZXRpYyBjb2RlLg0KDQpSb24gT2tpbW90bw0KDQoNCg==

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From =?UTF-8?B?w5bDtiBUaWli?=@21:1/5 to MarkE on Sun Dec 3 05:43:19 2023
    On Sunday, 3 December 2023 at 15:01:57 UTC+2, MarkE wrote:
    On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 2:01:57 AM UTC+11, Öö Tiib wrote:
    On Saturday, 2 December 2023 at 06:26:56 UTC+2, MarkE wrote:
    Here is one author's response to this objection, which is frequently raised on TO. I've previously claimed that the scientific evidence, especially for OOL, points instead to a "God of the growing gulf".

    OBJECTION: Your argument is a plea to the “God of the gaps.” Just because science doesn’t have all the answers doesn’t mean that we have to invoke God to fill the gaps.

    RESPONSE: The entirety of this book seeks to provide a proper scope to the “gap.” The Stairway to Life clarifies that the gap is not simply a missing puzzle piece or a set of unclear details. The gap is, in fact, the entirety of the origin of
    life. And the gap is growing over time as we learn more about the complexity of cells and as efforts to produce components of life via realistic prebiotic approaches fail. As we have mentioned, additional steps will be added to the Stairway to Life over
    time. These steps will come from previously unexplored processes that are required for life. For example, we mentioned in Chapter 17 that the current best approximation of a minimal cell that can reproduce autonomously includes 493 genes [201]. This same
    report specifies that 91 of the 493 genes perform unknown functions. Therefore, about 20% of the minimal genome codes for functions that we have not yet explored. Further, the genome is not the only information contained in life. We are just beginning to
    explore other forms of information found in living organisms, such as the sugar code that encapsulates cells [226]. Future exploration in these areas will result in new steps in the Stairway to Life and an ever-increasing “gap.” The emperor is not
    simply missing a lapel pin; the emperor has no clothes. Our conclusion that creative intelligence was essential to start life is based on what we do know, not on what we don’t know. The arguments in this book do not take the following form: “No one
    knows how life began; therefore, God did it.” Rather, the inference to the need for intelligence in the origin of life follows directly from what we do know about the requirements for life and what we do know about chemistry, physics, thermodynamics,
    and biology. Turning this objection around, choosing to maintain a belief in abiogenesis despite the absence of a reasonable approach to the Stairway to Life is a “materialism-of-the-gaps” approach—i.e., “we don’t know how life began, but we
    know that only natural processes were involved.”

    Tan, Change; Stadler, Rob. The Stairway To Life: An Origin-Of-Life Reality Check (pp. 187-189). Evorevo Books. Kindle Edition.

    Gaps again ... zero alternative stories in that writing to be found.
    His gaps are in clearly incorrect knowledge. How can be 493 genes theoretical
    minimum? 2016, Craig Venter reported creation of Syn 3.0 that actually lives and
    replicates and has 473 genes. Theoretical minimum is very likely with lot less.

    Step 1: Demonstrate from science 'an ever-increasing “gap.”'
    Step 2: Consider the God hypothesis.

    Increase of counter-evidence did happen with "science" that assumed the conclusion. With flat earth geocentrism, with scientific creationism and
    flood geology.

    With gaps in knowledge it does not happen. Counter-evidence to lack of knowledge? The god of gaps can be only discredited by gaps getting
    smaller. As the gaps are disconnected and getting smaller and smaller
    the god in those gets more and more incoherent. So it is backwards and unfortunate god of imagination in those. If there actually is creator God
    then He acted like science says, did not hide in our ignorance.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Mark Isaak@21:1/5 to All on Sun Dec 3 08:09:07 2023
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    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From RonO@21:1/5 to All on Sun Dec 3 11:25:03 2023
    T24gMTIvMy8yMDIzIDc6MDAgQU0sIE1hcmtFIHdyb3RlOg0KPiBPbiBTdW5kYXksIERlY2Vt YmVyIDMsIDIwMjMgYXQgMjowMTo1N+KAr0FNIFVUQysxMSwgw5bDtiBUaWliIHdyb3RlOg0K Pj4gT24gU2F0dXJkYXksIDIgRGVjZW1iZXIgMjAyMyBhdCAwNjoyNjo1NiBVVEMrMiwgTWFy a0Ugd3JvdGU6DQo+Pj4gSGVyZSBpcyBvbmUgYXV0aG9yJ3MgcmVzcG9uc2UgdG8gdGhpcyBv YmplY3Rpb24sIHdoaWNoIGlzIGZyZXF1ZW50bHkgcmFpc2VkIG9uIFRPLiBJJ3ZlIHByZXZp b3VzbHkgY2xhaW1lZCB0aGF0IHRoZSBzY2llbnRpZmljIGV2aWRlbmNlLCBlc3BlY2lhbGx5 IGZvciBPT0wsIHBvaW50cyBpbnN0ZWFkIHRvIGEgIkdvZCBvZiB0aGUgZ3Jvd2luZyBndWxm Ii4NCj4+Pg0KPj4+IE9CSkVDVElPTjogWW91ciBhcmd1bWVudCBpcyBhIHBsZWEgdG8gdGhl IOKAnEdvZCBvZiB0aGUgZ2Fwcy7igJ0gSnVzdCBiZWNhdXNlIHNjaWVuY2UgZG9lc27igJl0 IGhhdmUgYWxsIHRoZSBhbnN3ZXJzIGRvZXNu4oCZdCBtZWFuIHRoYXQgd2UgaGF2ZSB0byBp bnZva2UgR29kIHRvIGZpbGwgdGhlIGdhcHMuDQo+Pj4NCj4+PiBSRVNQT05TRTogVGhlIGVu dGlyZXR5IG9mIHRoaXMgYm9vayBzZWVrcyB0byBwcm92aWRlIGEgcHJvcGVyIHNjb3BlIHRv IHRoZSDigJxnYXAu4oCdIFRoZSBTdGFpcndheSB0byBMaWZlIGNsYXJpZmllcyB0aGF0IHRo ZSBnYXAgaXMgbm90IHNpbXBseSBhIG1pc3NpbmcgcHV6emxlIHBpZWNlIG9yIGEgc2V0IG9m IHVuY2xlYXIgZGV0YWlscy4gVGhlIGdhcCBpcywgaW4gZmFjdCwgdGhlIGVudGlyZXR5IG9m IHRoZSBvcmlnaW4gb2YgbGlmZS4gQW5kIHRoZSBnYXAgaXMgZ3Jvd2luZyBvdmVyIHRpbWUg YXMgd2UgbGVhcm4gbW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgY29tcGxleGl0eSBvZiBjZWxscyBhbmQgYXMg ZWZmb3J0cyB0byBwcm9kdWNlIGNvbXBvbmVudHMgb2YgbGlmZSB2aWEgcmVhbGlzdGljIHBy ZWJpb3RpYyBhcHByb2FjaGVzIGZhaWwuIEFzIHdlIGhhdmUgbWVudGlvbmVkLCBhZGRpdGlv bmFsIHN0ZXBzIHdpbGwgYmUgYWRkZWQgdG8gdGhlIFN0YWlyd2F5IHRvIExpZmUgb3ZlciB0 aW1lLiBUaGVzZSBzdGVwcyB3aWxsIGNvbWUgZnJvbSBwcmV2aW91c2x5IHVuZXhwbG9yZWQg cHJvY2Vzc2VzIHRoYXQgYXJlIHJlcXVpcmVkIGZvciBsaWZlLiBGb3IgZXhhbXBsZSwgd2Ug bWVudGlvbmVkIGluIENoYXB0ZXIgMTcgdGhhdCB0aGUgY3VycmVudCBiZXN0IGFwcHJveGlt YXRpb24gb2YgYSBtaW5pbWFsIGNlbGwgdGhhdCBjYW4gcmVwcm9kdWNlIGF1dG9ub21vdXNs eSBpbmNsdWRlcyA0OTMgZ2VuZXMgWzIwMV0uIFRoaXMgc2FtZSByZXBvcnQgc3BlY2lmaWVz IHRoYXQgOTEgb2YgdGhlIDQ5MyBnZW5lcyBwZXJmb3JtIHVua25vd24gZnVuY3Rpb25zLiBU aGVyZWZvcmUsIGFib3V0IDIwJSBvZiB0aGUgbWluaW1hbCBnZW5vbWUgY29kZXMgZm9yIGZ1 bmN0aW9ucyB0aGF0IHdlIGhhdmUgbm90IHlldCBleHBsb3JlZC4gRnVydGhlciwgdGhlIGdl bm9tZSBpcyBub3QgdGhlIG9ubHkgaW5mb3JtYXRpb24gY29udGFpbmVkIGluIGxpZmUuIFdl IGFyZSBqdXN0IGJlZ2lubmluZyB0byBleHBsb3JlIG90aGVyIGZvcm1zIG9mIGluZm9ybWF0 aW9uIGZvdW5kIGluIGxpdmluZyBvcmdhbmlzbXMsIHN1Y2ggYXMgdGhlIHN1Z2FyIGNvZGUg dGhhdCBlbmNhcHN1bGF0ZXMgY2VsbHMgWzIyNl0uIEZ1dHVyZSBleHBsb3JhdGlvbiBpbiB0 aGVzZSBhcmVhcyB3aWxsIHJlc3VsdCBpbiBuZXcgc3RlcHMgaW4gdGhlIFN0YWlyd2F5IHRv IExpZmUgYW5kIGFuIGV2ZXItaW5jcmVhc2luZyDigJxnYXAu4oCdIFRoZSBlbXBlcm9yIGlz IG5vdCBzaW1wbHkgbWlzc2luZyBhIGxhcGVsIHBpbjsgdGhlIGVtcGVyb3IgaGFzIG5vIGNs b3RoZXMuIE91ciBjb25jbHVzaW9uIHRoYXQgY3JlYXRpdmUgaW50ZWxsaWdlbmNlIHdhcyBl c3NlbnRpYWwgdG8gc3RhcnQgbGlmZSBpcyBiYXNlZCBvbiB3aGF0IHdlIGRvIGtub3csIG5v dCBvbiB3aGF0IHdlIGRvbuKAmXQga25vdy4gVGhlIGFyZ3VtZW50cyBpbiB0aGlzIGJvb2sg ZG8gbm90IHRha2UgdGhlIGZvbGxvd2luZyBmb3JtOiDigJxObyBvbmUga25vd3MgaG93IGxp ZmUgYmVnYW47IHRoZXJlZm9yZSwgR29kIGRpZCBpdC7igJ0gUmF0aGVyLCB0aGUgaW5mZXJl bmNlIHRvIHRoZSBuZWVkIGZvciBpbnRlbGxpZ2VuY2UgaW4gdGhlIG9yaWdpbiBvZiBsaWZl IGZvbGxvd3MgZGlyZWN0bHkgZnJvbSB3aGF0IHdlIGRvIGtub3cgYWJvdXQgdGhlIHJlcXVp cmVtZW50cyBmb3IgbGlmZSBhbmQgd2hhdCB3ZSBkbyBrbm93IGFib3V0IGNoZW1pc3RyeSwg cGh5c2ljcywgdGhlcm1vZHluYW1pY3MsIGFuZCBiaW9sb2d5LiBUdXJuaW5nIHRoaXMgb2Jq ZWN0aW9uIGFyb3VuZCwgY2hvb3NpbmcgdG8gbWFpbnRhaW4gYSBiZWxpZWYgaW4gYWJpb2dl bmVzaXMgZGVzcGl0ZSB0aGUgYWJzZW5jZSBvZiBhIHJlYXNvbmFibGUgYXBwcm9hY2ggdG8g dGhlIFN0YWlyd2F5IHRvIExpZmUgaXMgYSDigJxtYXRlcmlhbGlzbS1vZi10aGUtZ2Fwc+KA nSBhcHByb2FjaOKAlGkuZS4sIOKAnHdlIGRvbuKAmXQga25vdyBob3cgbGlmZSBiZWdhbiwg YnV0IHdlIGtub3cgdGhhdCBvbmx5IG5hdHVyYWwgcHJvY2Vzc2VzIHdlcmUgaW52b2x2ZWQu 4oCdDQo+Pj4NCj4+PiBUYW4sIENoYW5nZTsgU3RhZGxlciwgUm9iLiBUaGUgU3RhaXJ3YXkg VG8gTGlmZTogQW4gT3JpZ2luLU9mLUxpZmUgUmVhbGl0eSBDaGVjayAocHAuIDE4Ny0xODkp LiBFdm9yZXZvIEJvb2tzLiBLaW5kbGUgRWRpdGlvbi4NCj4+Pg0KPj4gR2FwcyBhZ2FpbiAu Li4gemVybyBhbHRlcm5hdGl2ZSBzdG9yaWVzIGluIHRoYXQgd3JpdGluZyB0byBiZSBmb3Vu ZC4NCj4+IEhpcyBnYXBzIGFyZSBpbiBjbGVhcmx5IGluY29ycmVjdCBrbm93bGVkZ2UuIEhv dyBjYW4gYmUgNDkzIGdlbmVzIHRoZW9yZXRpY2FsDQo+PiBtaW5pbXVtPyAyMDE2LCBDcmFp ZyBWZW50ZXIgcmVwb3J0ZWQgY3JlYXRpb24gb2YgU3luIDMuMCB0aGF0IGFjdHVhbGx5IGxp dmVzIGFuZA0KPj4gcmVwbGljYXRlcyBhbmQgaGFzIDQ3MyBnZW5lcy4gVGhlb3JldGljYWwg bWluaW11bSBpcyB2ZXJ5IGxpa2VseSB3aXRoIGxvdCBsZXNzLg0KPiANCj4gU3RlcCAxOiBE ZW1vbnN0cmF0ZSBmcm9tIHNjaWVuY2UgJ2FuIGV2ZXItaW5jcmVhc2luZyDigJxnYXAu4oCd Jw0KPiBTdGVwIDI6IENvbnNpZGVyIHRoZSBHb2QgaHlwb3RoZXNpcy4NCj4gDQoNCkFjdHVh bGx5LCB0aGUgcmVhbCBTdGVwIDEgaXMgdG8gY29uc2lkZXIgdGhlIEdvZCBoeXBvdGhlc2lz IGFuZCB0aGVuIA0KbWFrZSBzb21ldGhpbmcgdXAgYXMgdG8gd2h5IGl0IG1pZ2h0IGJlIGNy ZWRpYmxlLiAgVGhhdCBpcyBob3cgaXQgDQpjdXJyZW50bHkgaXMuICBJZiB5b3UgZGVueSB0 aGF0LCB5b3UgaGF2ZSBpc3N1ZXMgd2l0aCBkZWFsaW5nIHdpdGggcmVhbGl0eS4NCg0KWW91 IG9idmlvdXNseSBkbyBub3QgbmVlZCB5b3VyIFN0ZXAgMSB0byBnbyB0byB5b3VyIFN0ZXAg Mi4gIFN0ZXAgMSBoYXMgDQpuZXZlciBiZWVuIHJlcXVpcmVkIGZvciBjb25zaWRlcmF0aW9u IG9mIHRoZSBHb2QgaHlwb3RoZXNpcy4NCg0KUm9uIE9raW1vdG8NCg==

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From =?UTF-8?B?w5bDtiBUaWli?=@21:1/5 to Ron Dean on Mon Dec 4 03:43:52 2023
    On Monday, 4 December 2023 at 09:16:59 UTC+2, Ron Dean wrote:
    MarkE wrote:
    Here is one author's response to this objection, which is frequently raised on TO. I've previously claimed that the scientific evidence, especially for OOL, points instead to a "God of the growing gulf".

    OBJECTION: Your argument is a plea to the “God of the gaps.” Just because science doesn’t have all the answers doesn’t mean that we have to invoke God to fill the gaps.

    The truth is: This is where we find evolution - in the gaps. The 00L and
    the Cambrian explosion is _not_ where we find a "god", but rather this
    is where we find evolution, which has been trying desperately for 150+
    years to find non-existing evidence that closes these gaps.... It's
    _AFTER_ these gaps, is where we find the results of "god's " work!.

    Evolution isn't concerned with OOL. Perhaps OOL happened
    spontaneously here or elsewhere and migrated in or was altered by
    whomever intelligent? It is irrelevant. Fact is that life evolved here for billions of years agonisingly slowly. Exactly as expected from so
    primitive process. At some point it clearly had common to all survived
    life ancestor as it is based on very narrow choice from apparently
    available space of possible biochemistries and very narrow choice
    of space of possible structural arrangements of that biochemistry.

    Claiming that evolution is wrong because it does not explain origins
    of life is like claiming that it is wrong because it does not explain
    origins of speed of light and absolute zero temperature.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ernest Major@21:1/5 to Ron Dean on Mon Dec 4 19:12:12 2023
    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated
    through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct
    panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other
    possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    --
    alias Ernest Major

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Athel Cornish-Bowden@21:1/5 to Ron Dean on Mon Dec 4 20:58:51 2023
    On 2023-12-04 18:54:51 +0000, Ron Dean said:

    Öö Tiib wrote:
    On Monday, 4 December 2023 at 09:16:59 UTC+2, Ron Dean wrote:
    MarkE wrote:
    Here is one author's response to this objection, which is frequently
    raised on TO. I've previously claimed that the scientific evidence,
    especially for OOL, points instead to a "God of the growing gulf".

    OBJECTION: Your argument is a plea to the “God of the gaps.” Just
    because science doesn’t have all the answers doesn’t mean that we
    have to invoke God to fill the gaps.

    The truth is: This is where we find evolution - in the gaps. The 00L and >>> the Cambrian explosion is _not_ where we find a "god", but rather this
    is where we find evolution, which has been trying desperately for 150+
    years to find non-existing evidence that closes these gaps.... It's
    _AFTER_ these gaps, is where we find the results of "god's " work!.

    Evolution isn't concerned with OOL. Perhaps OOL happened
    spontaneously here or elsewhere and migrated in or was altered by
    whomever intelligent? It is irrelevant.

    I realize that's the claim. However, there has been research and experimenting with chemicals for a century in the hopes of discovering
    how life originated via some random, mindless, unguided natural
    processes.

    Evidence? I realize that you don't normally bother with evidence, but
    it still would be nice to know where you got this incredibly
    superficial account of origin-of-life resarch.

    I'll bet the scientist engaged in this enterprise are dedicated evolutionist, themselves and you cannot justifiably argue the contrary.

    Try not to bet on things you know nothing about.

    Try also to learn the difference between the origin of life and
    evolution. Hint: natural selection is concerned to explain how life
    evolved _after_ the origin. It says nothing (or almost nothing) about
    what happened before that.

    So, technically it might not be part of evolution,

    Not technically, OK, but not anything.

    nevertheless, it's not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist
    laboring in the field of OOL.

    How do you think you know that? Evidence? With suitable references.

    Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there could
    be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    That's a truism with no information content.


    Fact is that life evolved here for
    billions of years agonisingly slowly. Exactly as expected from so
    primitive process. At some point it clearly had common to all survived
    life ancestor as it is based on very narrow choice from apparently
    available space of possible biochemistries and very narrow choice
    of space of possible structural arrangements of that biochemistry.

    Claiming that evolution is wrong because it does not explain origins
    of life is like claiming that it is wrong because it does not explain
    origins of speed of light and absolute zero temperature.


    --
    athel cb : Biochemical Evolution, Garland Science, 2016

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Mon Dec 4 14:10:52 2023
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated
    through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural >abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct
    panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other
    possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of >natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted,
    it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They
    seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to
    do so.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ernest Major@21:1/5 to Bob Casanova on Mon Dec 4 21:31:25 2023
    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated
    through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural
    abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct
    panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other
    possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot
    accidental panspermia.


    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted,
    it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They
    seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to
    do so.


    --
    alias Ernest Major

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Mon Dec 4 15:41:33 2023
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:31:25 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution! >>>
    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated
    through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural
    abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct
    panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other
    possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot
    accidental panspermia.

    Oh, mustn't forget *that*! :-)

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted,
    it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They
    seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to
    do so.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Athel Cornish-Bowden@21:1/5 to Athel Cornish-Bowden on Tue Dec 5 11:16:38 2023
    On 2023-12-04 19:58:51 +0000, Athel Cornish-Bowden said:

    On 2023-12-04 18:54:51 +0000, Ron Dean said:

    Öö Tiib wrote:
    On Monday, 4 December 2023 at 09:16:59 UTC+2, Ron Dean wrote:
    MarkE wrote:
    Here is one author's response to this objection, which is frequently >>>>> raised on TO. I've previously claimed that the scientific evidence,
    especially for OOL, points instead to a "God of the growing gulf".

    OBJECTION: Your argument is a plea to the “God of the gaps.” Just >>>>> because science doesn’t have all the answers doesn’t mean that we >>>>> have to invoke God to fill the gaps.

    The truth is: This is where we find evolution - in the gaps. The 00L and >>>> the Cambrian explosion is _not_ where we find a "god", but rather this >>>> is where we find evolution, which has been trying desperately for 150+ >>>> years to find non-existing evidence that closes these gaps.... It's
    _AFTER_ these gaps, is where we find the results of "god's " work!.

    Evolution isn't concerned with OOL. Perhaps OOL happened
    spontaneously here or elsewhere and migrated in or was altered by
    whomever intelligent? It is irrelevant.

    I realize that's the claim. However, there has been research and
    experimenting with chemicals for a century in the hopes of discovering
    how life originated via some random, mindless, unguided natural
    processes.

    Evidence? I realize that you don't normally bother with evidence, but
    it still would be nice to know where you got this incredibly
    superficial account of origin-of-life resarch.

    I'll bet the scientist engaged in this enterprise are dedicated
    evolutionist, themselves and you cannot justifiably argue the contrary.

    Try not to bet on things you know nothing about.

    Try also to learn the difference between the origin of life and
    evolution. Hint: natural selection is concerned to explain how life
    evolved _after_ the origin. It says nothing (or almost nothing) about
    what happened before that.

    So, technically it might not be part of evolution,

    Not technically, OK, but not anything.

    nevertheless, it's not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist
    laboring in the field of OOL.

    How do you think you know that? Evidence? With suitable references.

    Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there could
    be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    That's a truism with no information content.


    Fact is that life evolved here for
    billions of years agonisingly slowly. Exactly as expected from so
    primitive process. At some point it clearly had common to all survived
    life ancestor as it is based on very narrow choice from apparently
    available space of possible biochemistries and very narrow choice
    of space of possible structural arrangements of that biochemistry.

    Claiming that evolution is wrong because it does not explain origins
    of life is like claiming that it is wrong because it does not explain
    origins of speed of light and absolute zero temperature.

    No evidence yet, I see. No evidence either for your claim that Piltdown
    Man was ever a centre piece in theory of evolution. Can we take your
    silence as an admission of dishonesty?

    --
    athel cb : Biochemical Evolution, Garland Science, 2016

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  • From Kerr-Mudd, John@21:1/5 to Bob Casanova on Tue Dec 5 10:57:29 2023
    On Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:41:33 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    [Accidental Panspermia]

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    On no evidence whatsoever, I favour the explanation that life started on
    warm wet Mars, and seeded Earth soon after it had settled down to a more hospitable place after the Moon was created.

    Or maybe it started on Earth beforehand but Earth life got wiped out with
    the big collision; though luckily there was a backup store of life on Mars
    by then to transfer back when times were better.


    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From =?UTF-8?B?w5bDtiBUaWli?=@21:1/5 to Athel Cornish-Bowden on Tue Dec 5 06:42:53 2023
    On Tuesday, 5 December 2023 at 12:22:00 UTC+2, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:

    No evidence yet, I see. No evidence either for your claim that Piltdown
    Man was ever a centre piece in theory of evolution. Can we take your
    silence as an admission of dishonesty?

    But think if he is actually honest apostate of Dedicated Evolutionism Sect?
    We haven't heard of it but anything may exist that we haven't heard of.
    Then his contacts in there probably treat him warily. Therefore evidence
    about malicious OOL ploys is hard to gather.

    Evidences about how massive scientific breakthrough was Eoanthropus
    Dawsoni may be even harder to gather. Dawson died about 100 years
    ago. Everything concerning that is probably either destroyed, sealed in
    deep vaults of sect or skewed beyond recognition by its powerful
    masterminds.

    Lets see what we can find in internet? Google search gives only about
    172,000 hits for "piltdown man". Those keep saying that the scam was
    so popular because of "Aryan" pride of racist Europeans back then.
    They supposedly were not happy about hominid fossils found in Asia
    and Africa ... and so the fake was perfect missing link to "Nordic origins". The actual backbone of evolution is now shown as fake piece of nazi
    propaganda! Q.E.D. that the masterminds of sect are tremendously
    powerful. So what other evidence you need?

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  • From Mark Isaak@21:1/5 to Ron Dean on Tue Dec 5 08:21:56 2023
    On 12/4/23 10:54 AM, Ron Dean wrote:
    Öö Tiib wrote:
    On Monday, 4 December 2023 at 09:16:59 UTC+2, Ron Dean wrote:
    MarkE wrote:
    Here is one author's response to this objection, which is frequently
    raised on TO. I've previously claimed that the scientific evidence,
    especially for OOL, points instead to a "God of the growing gulf".

    OBJECTION: Your argument is a plea to the “God of the gaps.” Just
    because science doesn’t have all the answers doesn’t mean that we
    have to invoke God to fill the gaps.

    The truth is: This is where we find evolution - in the gaps. The 00L and >>> the Cambrian explosion is _not_ where we find a "god", but rather this
    is where we find evolution, which has been trying desperately for 150+
    years to find non-existing evidence that closes these gaps.... It's
    _AFTER_ these gaps, is where we find the results of "god's " work!.

    Evolution isn't concerned with OOL. Perhaps OOL happened
    spontaneously here or elsewhere and migrated in or was altered by
    whomever intelligent? It is irrelevant.

    I realize that's the claim. However, there has been research and experimenting with chemicals for a century in the hopes of discovering
    how life originated via some random, mindless, unguided natural
    processes. I'll bet the scientist engaged in this enterprise are
    dedicated evolutionist, themselves and you cannot justifiably argue the contrary.
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Likewise, computer programming depends upon computers, which require
    that the elements silicon, germanium, and others. The formation of
    these elements requires certain conditions that stars go through.
    Consequently, one cannot become a competent computer programmer without
    first learning astrophysics.

    Right?

    --
    Mark Isaak
    "Wisdom begins when you discover the difference between 'That
    doesn't make sense' and 'I don't understand.'" - Mary Doria Russell

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  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Tue Dec 5 10:02:54 2023
    On Tue, 5 Dec 2023 10:57:29 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by "Kerr-Mudd, John" <[email protected]>:

    On Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:41:33 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    [Accidental Panspermia]

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    On no evidence whatsoever, I favour the explanation that life started on
    warm wet Mars, and seeded Earth soon after it had settled down to a more >hospitable place after the Moon was created.

    Or maybe it started on Earth beforehand but Earth life got wiped out with
    the big collision; though luckily there was a backup store of life on Mars
    by then to transfer back when times were better.

    *Excellent* unsupported conjecture(s)! :-)

    Or how about this? IIRC solar radiance was much lower in the
    "early days", say 2-3 BYa. So perhaps life started on Venus,
    and only migrated to Earth when Venus became too hot? No
    evidence whatsoever, of course, and I'm sure there are valid
    reasons why it couldn't have happened that way, but those
    are easily handwaved aside; simply check how Directed
    Panspermia works.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Tue Dec 5 10:19:57 2023
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 15:44:18 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson
    <[email protected]>:

    On Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:42:00?PM UTC-8, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:31:25 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's >> >>>> not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of >> >>>> OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there >> >>>> could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution! >> >>>
    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated
    through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural
    abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct
    panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other
    possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal >> >>> to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the >> >>> common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of >> >>> natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot
    accidental panspermia.

    Oh, mustn't forget *that*! :-)

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted,
    it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They
    seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to
    do so.

    --
    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov
    It seems to me that a case can be made for using the time required for life to arrive at certain
    milestones (first appearance, first photosynthesis, first eukayotes, multi-cellularity, etc) to
    represent the difficulty of arriving at that milestone. FIrst appearance of life on earth is somewhere
    between 200 - 500 My. All the subsequent advances required significantly more time, measured in Gy.
    SInce chemical building blocks are everywhere, and sufficiently earth-like conditions quite
    common, bacteria-grade life may be likewise common. Whether evolution proceeds to the
    level required to tickle the Fermi paradox is another question.

    Regardless of the fact that our sample size is rather small
    (1), that could be used to form a conjecture. Rather wide
    error bands, of course, although not as wide as those in the
    Drake Equation, which seems to hold a fascination for some
    even though all but the first three terms are WAGs with zero
    evidence in support. Of course, Frank Drake apparently
    didn't intend it as a serious way to calculate the number of
    civilizations in the galaxy, but as a stimulus for
    discussion.

    As for the Fermi Paradox, I don't consider it a paradox at
    all, but merely a statement that our complete lack of
    knowledge somehow forces us to ask where all the aliens are;
    it would be a paradox (sort of) only if we had never been
    visited by interstellar civilizations we *knew* to exist.
    But as someone put it, "If life is so easy, someone from
    somewhere must have come calling by now.". IMHO, any
    statement which incorporates "if' followed by "must have",
    based on conjectural premises rather than data, is far from
    rigorous.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

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  • From Ernest Major@21:1/5 to jillery on Tue Dec 5 17:36:33 2023
    On 05/12/2023 14:40, jillery wrote:
    On Tue, 5 Dec 2023 10:57:29 +0000, "Kerr-Mudd, John" <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:41:33 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    [Accidental Panspermia]

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    On no evidence whatsoever, I favour the explanation that life started on
    warm wet Mars, and seeded Earth soon after it had settled down to a more
    hospitable place after the Moon was created.

    Or maybe it started on Earth beforehand but Earth life got wiped out with
    the big collision; though luckily there was a backup store of life on Mars >> by then to transfer back when times were better.


    Since you mention it, it's not clear to me how Mars could have evolved
    life significantly before Earth.

    Mars, being smaller, would have cooled to the point where complex phases
    of CHON are stable first. (The heat deposited in the Earth by the
    collision with Theia also delays Earth's habitability.) Depending on
    exactly when the planets formed there's also the possibility of Mars
    being habitable during the Sun's T Tauri phase while the Earth was too
    hot for life due to greater solar insolation and greenhouse effect.

    --
    To know less than we don't know is the nature of most knowledge


    --
    alias Ernest Major

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  • From =?UTF-8?B?w5bDtiBUaWli?=@21:1/5 to Ron Dean on Tue Dec 5 23:35:50 2023
    On Wednesday 6 December 2023 at 05:12:00 UTC+2, Ron Dean wrote:
    Mark Isaak wrote:
    On 12/4/23 10:54 AM, Ron Dean wrote:
    Öö Tiib wrote:
    On Monday, 4 December 2023 at 09:16:59 UTC+2, Ron Dean wrote:
    MarkE wrote:
    Here is one author's response to this objection, which is
    frequently raised on TO. I've previously claimed that the
    scientific evidence, especially for OOL, points instead to a "God >>>>> of the growing gulf".

    OBJECTION: Your argument is a plea to the “God of the gaps.” Just >>>>> because science doesn’t have all the answers doesn’t mean that we >>>>> have to invoke God to fill the gaps.

    The truth is: This is where we find evolution - in the gaps. The 00L >>>> and
    the Cambrian explosion is _not_ where we find a "god", but rather this >>>> is where we find evolution, which has been trying desperately for 150+ >>>> years to find non-existing evidence that closes these gaps.... It's >>>> _AFTER_ these gaps, is where we find the results of "god's " work!. >>>>
    Evolution isn't concerned with OOL. Perhaps OOL happened
    spontaneously here or elsewhere and migrated in or was altered by
    whomever intelligent? It is irrelevant.

    I realize that's the claim. However, there has been research and
    experimenting with chemicals for a century in the hopes of discovering
    how life originated via some random, mindless, unguided natural
    processes. I'll bet the scientist engaged in this enterprise are
    dedicated evolutionist, themselves and you cannot justifiably argue
    the contrary.
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Likewise, computer programming depends upon computers, which require
    that the elements silicon, germanium, and others. The formation of
    these elements requires certain conditions that stars go through. Consequently, one cannot become a competent computer programmer without first learning astrophysics.

    Right?

    I thought I already responded to this, but I cannot find it on TO. Ok,
    to carry your logic further none of this would have happened had the big bang never happened.

    Somehow all aspects of our reality are connected with all others closely
    or less. Biologistst research some of those, astronomers others.
    Biological evolution could only happen after life was already originated
    and ancestor organisms could already pass their traits to offspring. Biologists have evidence that last universal common ancestor of all
    current life did live on this planet and was already quite sophisticated organism. That is generally accepted in biology. Also some intelligent
    design "fellows" argue that they see plenty of convincing evidence
    to it. Others argue that it might be was in some other way but they
    haven't published any research papers providing evidence to those
    alternatives. They have written some books, but such can be maybe
    taught in lessons of literature or philosophy, not in biology classes.

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  • From J. J. Lodder@21:1/5 to John on Wed Dec 6 13:27:10 2023
    Kerr-Mudd, John <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:41:33 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    [Accidental Panspermia]

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    On no evidence whatsoever, I favour the explanation that life started on
    warm wet Mars, and seeded Earth soon after it had settled down to a more hospitable place after the Moon was created.

    Or maybe it started on Earth beforehand but Earth life got wiped out with
    the big collision; though luckily there was a backup store of life on Mars
    by then to transfer back when times were better.

    Poor logic. If life on Earth could have formed spontaneously
    before being wiped out, restarting again is far more probable
    that the extremely unlikely possibility
    of spontaneous transfer from Mars.

    The American civil war myth of a virgin girl having been impregnated
    by a bullet that had passed through a soldiers balls
    is extremely likely, by comparison,
    (alas, busted)

    Jan

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  • From Athel Cornish-Bowden@21:1/5 to J. J. Lodder on Wed Dec 6 16:06:29 2023
    On 2023-12-06 12:27:10 +0000, J. J. Lodder said:

    Kerr-Mudd, John <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:41:33 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    [Accidental Panspermia]

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    On no evidence whatsoever, I favour the explanation that life started on
    warm wet Mars, and seeded Earth soon after it had settled down to a more
    hospitable place after the Moon was created.

    Or maybe it started on Earth beforehand but Earth life got wiped out with
    the big collision; though luckily there was a backup store of life on Mars >> by then to transfer back when times were better.

    Poor logic. If life on Earth could have formed spontaneously
    before being wiped out, restarting again is far more probable
    that the extremely unlikely possibility
    of spontaneous transfer from Mars.

    The American civil war myth of a virgin girl having been impregnated
    by a bullet that had passed through a soldiers balls
    is extremely likely, by comparison,
    (alas, busted)

    Jan

    Alas indeed. I read about this many years ago (1969, probably, or
    thereabouts) in American Heritage, a magazine that my late first
    father-in-law suscribed to in our name. I found it quite plausible,
    much more believable than that the Virgin Mary was impregnated by the
    Angel Gabriel.

    --
    Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 36 years; mainly
    in England until 1987.

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  • From Kerr-Mudd, John@21:1/5 to erik simpson on Wed Dec 6 19:57:58 2023
    On Tue, 5 Dec 2023 07:51:07 -0800 (PST)
    erik simpson <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 6:42:00 AM UTC-8, jillery wrote:
    On Tue, 5 Dec 2023 10:57:29 +0000, "Kerr-Mudd, John" <[email protected]> wrote:
    On Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:41:33 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    [Accidental Panspermia]

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    On no evidence whatsoever, I favour the explanation that life started on >warm wet Mars, and seeded Earth soon after it had settled down to a more >hospitable place after the Moon was created.

    Or maybe it started on Earth beforehand but Earth life got wiped out with >the big collision; though luckily there was a backup store of life on Mars >by then to transfer back when times were better.
    Since you mention it, it's not clear to me how Mars could have evolved
    life significantly before Earth.

    Blast. Hang on, I'll come up with another 'theory' in a minute.

    To know less than we don't know is the nature of most knowledge
    It would be great to discover that Mars developed life of its own, and
    even more interesting if it's still there, perhaps deep underground. Only
    by examining its chemistry will we be able to see if it's us.

    Indeed it would; I think some organic bits have been found in Antartic meteorites?


    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Kerr-Mudd, John@21:1/5 to Bob Casanova on Wed Dec 6 20:11:39 2023
    On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:02:54 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Tue, 5 Dec 2023 10:57:29 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by "Kerr-Mudd, John" <[email protected]>:

    On Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:41:33 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    [Accidental Panspermia]

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    On no evidence whatsoever, I favour the explanation that life started on >warm wet Mars, and seeded Earth soon after it had settled down to a more >hospitable place after the Moon was created.

    Or maybe it started on Earth beforehand but Earth life got wiped out with >the big collision; though luckily there was a backup store of life on Mars >by then to transfer back when times were better.

    *Excellent* unsupported conjecture(s)! :-)

    Or how about this? IIRC solar radiance was much lower in the
    "early days", say 2-3 BYa. So perhaps life started on Venus,
    and only migrated to Earth when Venus became too hot? No
    evidence whatsoever, of course, and I'm sure there are valid
    reasons why it couldn't have happened that way, but those
    are easily handwaved aside; simply check how Directed
    Panspermia works.


    I reject your johnny-come-lately conjecture as clearly nonsense - Venus is downhill from Earth, life could only come from further out (Until the
    Venusian invented spaceships, of course).

    Support the Mars origin of life campaign! Send donations to...



    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ernest Major@21:1/5 to John on Wed Dec 6 20:44:28 2023
    On 06/12/2023 19:57, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
    It would be great to discover that Mars developed life of its own, and
    even more interesting if it's still there, perhaps deep underground. Only >> by examining its chemistry will we be able to see if it's us.

    Indeed it would; I think some organic bits have been found in Antartic meteorites?

    See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Hills_84001

    --
    alias Ernest Major

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Thu Dec 7 00:11:34 2023
    On Wed, 6 Dec 2023 14:38:38 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson
    <[email protected]>:

    On Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 12:12:01?PM UTC-8, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
    On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:02:54 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Tue, 5 Dec 2023 10:57:29 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by "Kerr-Mudd, John" <[email protected]>:

    On Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:41:33 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    [Accidental Panspermia]

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    On no evidence whatsoever, I favour the explanation that life started on >> > >warm wet Mars, and seeded Earth soon after it had settled down to a more >> > >hospitable place after the Moon was created.

    Or maybe it started on Earth beforehand but Earth life got wiped out with >> > >the big collision; though luckily there was a backup store of life on Mars
    by then to transfer back when times were better.

    *Excellent* unsupported conjecture(s)! :-)

    Or how about this? IIRC solar radiance was much lower in the
    "early days", say 2-3 BYa. So perhaps life started on Venus,
    and only migrated to Earth when Venus became too hot? No
    evidence whatsoever, of course, and I'm sure there are valid
    reasons why it couldn't have happened that way, but those
    are easily handwaved aside; simply check how Directed
    Panspermia works.
    I reject your johnny-come-lately conjecture as clearly nonsense - Venus is >> downhill from Earth, life could only come from further out (Until the
    Venusian invented spaceships, of course).

    Support the Mars origin of life campaign! Send donations to...
    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.
    If anybody seeded us, it had to be Mars. Go Mars!

    Pish and tosh! Mars, as god of war, was far less likely than
    Venus, goddess of love, to have given life! Even the Romans
    got that right!

    So there!

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Kerr-Mudd, John@21:1/5 to Bob Casanova on Thu Dec 7 10:37:40 2023
    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:11:34 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Wed, 6 Dec 2023 14:38:38 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson
    <[email protected]>:

    On Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 12:12:01?PM UTC-8, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote: >> On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:02:54 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Tue, 5 Dec 2023 10:57:29 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by "Kerr-Mudd, John" <[email protected]>:

    On Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:41:33 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    [Accidental Panspermia]

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    On no evidence whatsoever, I favour the explanation that life started on
    warm wet Mars, and seeded Earth soon after it had settled down to a more
    hospitable place after the Moon was created.

    Or maybe it started on Earth beforehand but Earth life got wiped out with
    the big collision; though luckily there was a backup store of life on Mars
    by then to transfer back when times were better.

    *Excellent* unsupported conjecture(s)! :-)

    Or how about this? IIRC solar radiance was much lower in the
    "early days", say 2-3 BYa. So perhaps life started on Venus,
    and only migrated to Earth when Venus became too hot? No
    evidence whatsoever, of course, and I'm sure there are valid
    reasons why it couldn't have happened that way, but those
    are easily handwaved aside; simply check how Directed
    Panspermia works.
    I reject your johnny-come-lately conjecture as clearly nonsense - Venus is >> downhill from Earth, life could only come from further out (Until the
    Venusian invented spaceships, of course).

    Support the Mars origin of life campaign! Send donations to...
    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.
    If anybody seeded us, it had to be Mars. Go Mars!

    Pish and tosh! Mars, as god of war, was far less likely than
    Venus, goddess of love, to have given life! Even the Romans
    got that right!

    So there!


    All good solid arguments; maybe female life came from Venus and male from
    Mars - hang on I read a book about this once - it put me off evolution for life.


    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From J. J. Lodder@21:1/5 to Athel Cornish-Bowden on Thu Dec 7 15:34:07 2023
    Athel Cornish-Bowden <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 2023-12-06 12:27:10 +0000, J. J. Lodder said:

    Kerr-Mudd, John <[email protected]> wrote:

    On Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:41:33 -0700
    Bob Casanova <[email protected]> wrote:

    [Accidental Panspermia]

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    On no evidence whatsoever, I favour the explanation that life started on >> warm wet Mars, and seeded Earth soon after it had settled down to a more >> hospitable place after the Moon was created.

    Or maybe it started on Earth beforehand but Earth life got wiped out with >> the big collision; though luckily there was a backup store of life on Mars >> by then to transfer back when times were better.

    Poor logic. If life on Earth could have formed spontaneously
    before being wiped out, restarting again is far more probable
    that the extremely unlikely possibility
    of spontaneous transfer from Mars.

    The American civil war myth of a virgin girl having been impregnated
    by a bullet that had passed through a soldiers balls
    is extremely likely, by comparison,
    (alas, busted)

    Jan

    Alas indeed. I read about this many years ago (1969, probably, or thereabouts) in American Heritage, a magazine that my late first father-in-law suscribed to in our name. I found it quite plausible,
    much more believable than that the Virgin Mary was impregnated by the
    Angel Gabriel.

    Wikipedia gives the source as:
    "An American urban myth also proposes that the saying originated in a
    story reported in the October 7, 1864 The American Medical Weekly about
    a woman impregnated by a bullet that went through a soldier's testicles
    and into her womb. The story about the woman was a joke written by
    Legrand G. Capers; some people who read the weekly failed to realize
    that the story was a joke and reported it as true."
    (this was revealed in the next issue)

    The Mythbusters had some fun disproving the obvious.
    Lacking a reenactor to volunteer in the name of science and truth
    they use bull's sperm in a plastic bag, iirc.

    But the phrase 'son of a gun' is older than that, and British.
    Wikip gives the fact that pregnant women who were allowed
    to follow their men had to give birth on the main gun deck,
    between two gun carriages.
    (presumably to have something solid to hold onto)

    Jan

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Thu Dec 7 09:01:28 2023
    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:24:20 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:19:57 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 15:44:18 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson
    <[email protected]>:

    On Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:42:00?PM UTC-8, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:31:25 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's >>>> >>>> not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of >>>> >>>> OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there >>>> >>>> could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated
    through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural >>>> >>> abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct
    panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other
    possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a >>>> >>> lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the >>>> >>> common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot
    accidental panspermia.

    Oh, mustn't forget *that*! :-)

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted,
    it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They
    seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to
    do so.

    --
    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov
    It seems to me that a case can be made for using the time required for life to arrive at certain
    milestones (first appearance, first photosynthesis, first eukayotes, multi-cellularity, etc) to
    represent the difficulty of arriving at that milestone. FIrst appearance of life on earth is somewhere
    between 200 - 500 My. All the subsequent advances required significantly more time, measured in Gy.
    SInce chemical building blocks are everywhere, and sufficiently earth-like conditions quite
    common, bacteria-grade life may be likewise common. Whether evolution proceeds to the
    level required to tickle the Fermi paradox is another question.

    Regardless of the fact that our sample size is rather small
    (1), that could be used to form a conjecture. Rather wide
    error bands, of course, although not as wide as those in the
    Drake Equation, which seems to hold a fascination for some
    even though all but the first three terms are WAGs with zero
    evidence in support. Of course, Frank Drake apparently
    didn't intend it as a serious way to calculate the number of
    civilizations in the galaxy, but as a stimulus for
    discussion.

    As for the Fermi Paradox, I don't consider it a paradox at
    all, but merely a statement that our complete lack of
    knowledge somehow forces us to ask where all the aliens are;
    it would be a paradox (sort of) only if we had never been
    visited by interstellar civilizations we *knew* to exist.
    But as someone put it, "If life is so easy, someone from
    somewhere must have come calling by now.". IMHO, any
    statement which incorporates "if' followed by "must have",
    based on conjectural premises rather than data, is far from
    rigorous.


    The "data" for the Fermi paradox is a straightforward computation
    which presumes only that stellar travel is possible. Once stellar
    travel is invented, expansion throughout a galaxy is almost a
    certainty within the lifetime of the galaxy. So either stellar travel
    is impossible, or some process inhibits the consequent expansion, thus
    a paradox.

    OK, I see the reasoning. But the possibilities aren't
    exhausted by the stated ones; at the least, it would
    require, in addition to the capability, the desire for
    interstellar travel. Assuming such a desire on the part of
    an alien civilization is anthropomorphic.

    IMHO, the full statement should be "If interstellar travel
    is possible, and IF any civilization capable of so traveling
    has the desire to do so, then they should be here at some
    time during the lifetime of the galaxy". In this I see no
    paradox, only a set of unknowns. And despite the fact that
    our star system is only 1/3 the age of the universe, it may
    be that early-population stars lacked some of the elements
    required for life, which had to wait for the proper
    environment, so "they've had plenty of time to get here" may
    be a false assumption, and we're only just getting to the
    point where a star-travelling civilization is possible. We
    simply *don't now*.

    While I suppose you could call the lack of desire. or a
    particular environmental restriction, a process which
    inhibits the expansion, I don't believe that was part of the
    assumption.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Thu Dec 7 19:08:51 2023
    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 09:01:28 -0700, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by Bob Casanova <[email protected]>:

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:24:20 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:19:57 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 15:44:18 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson >>><[email protected]>:

    On Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:42:00?PM UTC-8, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:31:25 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated >>>>> >>> through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural >>>>> >>> abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct
    panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other >>>>> >>> possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a >>>>> >>> lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot
    accidental panspermia.

    Oh, mustn't forget *that*! :-)

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted,
    it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They
    seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to
    do so.

    --
    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov
    It seems to me that a case can be made for using the time required for life to arrive at certain
    milestones (first appearance, first photosynthesis, first eukayotes, multi-cellularity, etc) to
    represent the difficulty of arriving at that milestone. FIrst appearance of life on earth is somewhere
    between 200 - 500 My. All the subsequent advances required significantly more time, measured in Gy.
    SInce chemical building blocks are everywhere, and sufficiently earth-like conditions quite
    common, bacteria-grade life may be likewise common. Whether evolution proceeds to the
    level required to tickle the Fermi paradox is another question.

    Regardless of the fact that our sample size is rather small
    (1), that could be used to form a conjecture. Rather wide
    error bands, of course, although not as wide as those in the
    Drake Equation, which seems to hold a fascination for some
    even though all but the first three terms are WAGs with zero
    evidence in support. Of course, Frank Drake apparently
    didn't intend it as a serious way to calculate the number of >>>civilizations in the galaxy, but as a stimulus for
    discussion.

    As for the Fermi Paradox, I don't consider it a paradox at
    all, but merely a statement that our complete lack of
    knowledge somehow forces us to ask where all the aliens are;
    it would be a paradox (sort of) only if we had never been
    visited by interstellar civilizations we *knew* to exist.
    But as someone put it, "If life is so easy, someone from
    somewhere must have come calling by now.". IMHO, any
    statement which incorporates "if' followed by "must have",
    based on conjectural premises rather than data, is far from
    rigorous.


    The "data" for the Fermi paradox is a straightforward computation
    which presumes only that stellar travel is possible. Once stellar
    travel is invented, expansion throughout a galaxy is almost a
    certainty within the lifetime of the galaxy. So either stellar travel
    is impossible, or some process inhibits the consequent expansion, thus
    a paradox.

    OK, I see the reasoning. But the possibilities aren't
    exhausted by the stated ones; at the least, it would
    require, in addition to the capability, the desire for
    interstellar travel. Assuming such a desire on the part of
    an alien civilization is anthropomorphic.

    IMHO, the full statement should be "If interstellar travel
    is possible, and IF any civilization capable of so traveling
    has the desire to do so, then they should be here at some
    time during the lifetime of the galaxy". In this I see no
    paradox, only a set of unknowns. And despite the fact that
    our star system is only 1/3 the age of the universe, it may
    be that early-population stars lacked some of the elements
    required for life, which had to wait for the proper
    environment, so "they've had plenty of time to get here" may
    be a false assumption, and we're only just getting to the
    point where a star-travelling civilization is possible. We
    simply *don't now*.

    Crap: "don't know". I guess the "k" was simply *too*
    silent...

    While I suppose you could call the lack of desire. or a
    particular environmental restriction, a process which
    inhibits the expansion, I don't believe that was part of the
    assumption.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Fri Dec 8 15:58:53 2023
    On Fri, 08 Dec 2023 09:19:18 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 09:01:28 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:24:20 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:19:57 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 15:44:18 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson >>>><[email protected]>:

    On Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:42:00?PM UTC-8, Bob Casanova wrote: >>>>>> On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:31:25 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated >>>>>> >>> through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural >>>>>> >>> abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct
    panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other >>>>>> >>> possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot >>>>>> >accidental panspermia.

    Oh, mustn't forget *that*! :-)

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted,
    it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They
    seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to
    do so.

    --
    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov
    It seems to me that a case can be made for using the time required for life to arrive at certain
    milestones (first appearance, first photosynthesis, first eukayotes, multi-cellularity, etc) to
    represent the difficulty of arriving at that milestone. FIrst appearance of life on earth is somewhere
    between 200 - 500 My. All the subsequent advances required significantly more time, measured in Gy.
    SInce chemical building blocks are everywhere, and sufficiently earth-like conditions quite
    common, bacteria-grade life may be likewise common. Whether evolution proceeds to the
    level required to tickle the Fermi paradox is another question.

    Regardless of the fact that our sample size is rather small
    (1), that could be used to form a conjecture. Rather wide
    error bands, of course, although not as wide as those in the
    Drake Equation, which seems to hold a fascination for some
    even though all but the first three terms are WAGs with zero
    evidence in support. Of course, Frank Drake apparently
    didn't intend it as a serious way to calculate the number of >>>>civilizations in the galaxy, but as a stimulus for
    discussion.

    As for the Fermi Paradox, I don't consider it a paradox at
    all, but merely a statement that our complete lack of
    knowledge somehow forces us to ask where all the aliens are;
    it would be a paradox (sort of) only if we had never been
    visited by interstellar civilizations we *knew* to exist.
    But as someone put it, "If life is so easy, someone from
    somewhere must have come calling by now.". IMHO, any
    statement which incorporates "if' followed by "must have",
    based on conjectural premises rather than data, is far from
    rigorous.


    The "data" for the Fermi paradox is a straightforward computation
    which presumes only that stellar travel is possible. Once stellar
    travel is invented, expansion throughout a galaxy is almost a
    certainty within the lifetime of the galaxy. So either stellar travel
    is impossible, or some process inhibits the consequent expansion, thus
    a paradox.

    OK, I see the reasoning. But the possibilities aren't
    exhausted by the stated ones; at the least, it would
    require, in addition to the capability, the desire for
    interstellar travel. Assuming such a desire on the part of
    an alien civilization is anthropomorphic.


    My description above isn't meant to be exhaustive. But since you
    mention it, a desire for interstellar travel is a consequence of a
    common evolutionary strategy to expand and overcome, one not limited
    to humans.

    Those are assumptions. Change "is a strategy" to "is usually
    a strategy among known species" and change "one not limited
    to humans" to "which may be not limited to humans" and I'll
    accept it. Bottom line: We have a sample of *one* ecology,
    and no knowledge of any other. Ignorance doesn't confer
    surety.

    IMHO, the full statement should be "If interstellar travel
    is possible, and IF any civilization capable of so traveling
    has the desire to do so, then they should be here at some
    time during the lifetime of the galaxy". In this I see no
    paradox, only a set of unknowns. And despite the fact that
    our star system is only 1/3 the age of the universe, it may
    be that early-population stars lacked some of the elements
    required for life, which had to wait for the proper
    environment, so "they've had plenty of time to get here" may
    be a false assumption, and we're only just getting to the
    point where a star-travelling civilization is possible. We
    simply *don't now*.

    While I suppose you could call the lack of desire. or a
    particular environmental restriction, a process which
    inhibits the expansion, I don't believe that was part of the
    assumption.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Fri Dec 8 23:22:51 2023
    On Fri, 08 Dec 2023 09:19:18 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    Yet another post which I noticed failed to appear. More
    irony WRT CW...

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 09:01:28 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:24:20 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:19:57 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 15:44:18 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson >>>><[email protected]>:

    On Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:42:00?PM UTC-8, Bob Casanova wrote: >>>>>> On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:31:25 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated >>>>>> >>> through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural >>>>>> >>> abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct
    panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other >>>>>> >>> possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot >>>>>> >accidental panspermia.

    Oh, mustn't forget *that*! :-)

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted,
    it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They
    seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to
    do so.

    --
    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov
    It seems to me that a case can be made for using the time required for life to arrive at certain
    milestones (first appearance, first photosynthesis, first eukayotes, multi-cellularity, etc) to
    represent the difficulty of arriving at that milestone. FIrst appearance of life on earth is somewhere
    between 200 - 500 My. All the subsequent advances required significantly more time, measured in Gy.
    SInce chemical building blocks are everywhere, and sufficiently earth-like conditions quite
    common, bacteria-grade life may be likewise common. Whether evolution proceeds to the
    level required to tickle the Fermi paradox is another question.

    Regardless of the fact that our sample size is rather small
    (1), that could be used to form a conjecture. Rather wide
    error bands, of course, although not as wide as those in the
    Drake Equation, which seems to hold a fascination for some
    even though all but the first three terms are WAGs with zero
    evidence in support. Of course, Frank Drake apparently
    didn't intend it as a serious way to calculate the number of >>>>civilizations in the galaxy, but as a stimulus for
    discussion.

    As for the Fermi Paradox, I don't consider it a paradox at
    all, but merely a statement that our complete lack of
    knowledge somehow forces us to ask where all the aliens are;
    it would be a paradox (sort of) only if we had never been
    visited by interstellar civilizations we *knew* to exist.
    But as someone put it, "If life is so easy, someone from
    somewhere must have come calling by now.". IMHO, any
    statement which incorporates "if' followed by "must have",
    based on conjectural premises rather than data, is far from
    rigorous.


    The "data" for the Fermi paradox is a straightforward computation
    which presumes only that stellar travel is possible. Once stellar
    travel is invented, expansion throughout a galaxy is almost a
    certainty within the lifetime of the galaxy. So either stellar travel
    is impossible, or some process inhibits the consequent expansion, thus
    a paradox.

    OK, I see the reasoning. But the possibilities aren't
    exhausted by the stated ones; at the least, it would
    require, in addition to the capability, the desire for
    interstellar travel. Assuming such a desire on the part of
    an alien civilization is anthropomorphic.


    My description above isn't meant to be exhaustive. But since you
    mention it, a desire for interstellar travel is a consequence of a
    common evolutionary strategy to expand and overcome, one not limited
    to humans.

    Those are assumptions. Change "is a strategy" to "is usually
    a strategy among known species" and change "one not limited
    to humans" to "which may be not limited to humans" and I'll
    accept it. Bottom line: We have a sample of *one* ecology,
    and no knowledge of any other. Ignorance doesn't confer
    surety.

    IMHO, the full statement should be "If interstellar travel
    is possible, and IF any civilization capable of so traveling
    has the desire to do so, then they should be here at some
    time during the lifetime of the galaxy". In this I see no
    paradox, only a set of unknowns. And despite the fact that
    our star system is only 1/3 the age of the universe, it may
    be that early-population stars lacked some of the elements
    required for life, which had to wait for the proper
    environment, so "they've had plenty of time to get here" may
    be a false assumption, and we're only just getting to the
    point where a star-travelling civilization is possible. We
    simply *don't now*.

    While I suppose you could call the lack of desire. or a
    particular environmental restriction, a process which
    inhibits the expansion, I don't believe that was part of the
    assumption.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Mark Isaak@21:1/5 to Bob Casanova on Sat Dec 9 08:24:23 2023
    On 12/8/23 10:22 PM, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Fri, 08 Dec 2023 09:19:18 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    Yet another post which I noticed failed to appear. More
    irony WRT CW...

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 09:01:28 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:24:20 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:19:57 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 15:44:18 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson
    <[email protected]>:

    On Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:42:00?PM UTC-8, Bob Casanova wrote: >>>>>>> On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:31:25 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in >>>>>>>>> talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated >>>>>>>>>> through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural >>>>>>>>>> abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct >>>>>>>>>> panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other >>>>>>>>>> possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot >>>>>>>> accidental panspermia.

    Oh, mustn't forget *that*! :-)

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted, >>>>>>>>> it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They >>>>>>>>> seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to >>>>>>>>> do so.

    --
    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov
    It seems to me that a case can be made for using the time required for life to arrive at certain
    milestones (first appearance, first photosynthesis, first eukayotes, multi-cellularity, etc) to
    represent the difficulty of arriving at that milestone. FIrst appearance of life on earth is somewhere
    between 200 - 500 My. All the subsequent advances required significantly more time, measured in Gy.
    SInce chemical building blocks are everywhere, and sufficiently earth-like conditions quite
    common, bacteria-grade life may be likewise common. Whether evolution proceeds to the
    level required to tickle the Fermi paradox is another question.

    Regardless of the fact that our sample size is rather small
    (1), that could be used to form a conjecture. Rather wide
    error bands, of course, although not as wide as those in the
    Drake Equation, which seems to hold a fascination for some
    even though all but the first three terms are WAGs with zero
    evidence in support. Of course, Frank Drake apparently
    didn't intend it as a serious way to calculate the number of
    civilizations in the galaxy, but as a stimulus for
    discussion.

    As for the Fermi Paradox, I don't consider it a paradox at
    all, but merely a statement that our complete lack of
    knowledge somehow forces us to ask where all the aliens are;
    it would be a paradox (sort of) only if we had never been
    visited by interstellar civilizations we *knew* to exist.
    But as someone put it, "If life is so easy, someone from
    somewhere must have come calling by now.". IMHO, any
    statement which incorporates "if' followed by "must have",
    based on conjectural premises rather than data, is far from
    rigorous.


    The "data" for the Fermi paradox is a straightforward computation
    which presumes only that stellar travel is possible. Once stellar
    travel is invented, expansion throughout a galaxy is almost a
    certainty within the lifetime of the galaxy. So either stellar travel >>>> is impossible, or some process inhibits the consequent expansion, thus >>>> a paradox.

    OK, I see the reasoning. But the possibilities aren't
    exhausted by the stated ones; at the least, it would
    require, in addition to the capability, the desire for
    interstellar travel. Assuming such a desire on the part of
    an alien civilization is anthropomorphic.


    My description above isn't meant to be exhaustive. But since you
    mention it, a desire for interstellar travel is a consequence of a
    common evolutionary strategy to expand and overcome, one not limited
    to humans.

    Those are assumptions. Change "is a strategy" to "is usually
    a strategy among known species" and change "one not limited
    to humans" to "which may be not limited to humans" and I'll
    accept it. Bottom line: We have a sample of *one* ecology,
    and no knowledge of any other. Ignorance doesn't confer
    surety.

    Unfortunately, Ignorance all to often *does* confer surety. It does not
    confer trustworthiness nor justify surety.

    --
    Mark Isaak
    "Wisdom begins when you discover the difference between 'That
    doesn't make sense' and 'I don't understand.'" - Mary Doria Russell

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Sat Dec 9 11:05:19 2023
    On Sat, 9 Dec 2023 08:24:23 -0800, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Mark Isaak
    <[email protected]>:

    On 12/8/23 10:22 PM, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Fri, 08 Dec 2023 09:19:18 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    Yet another post which I noticed failed to appear. More
    irony WRT CW...

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 09:01:28 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:24:20 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:19:57 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 15:44:18 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson
    <[email protected]>:

    On Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:42:00?PM UTC-8, Bob Casanova wrote: >>>>>>>> On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:31:25 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in >>>>>>>>>> talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated >>>>>>>>>>> through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural >>>>>>>>>>> abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct >>>>>>>>>>> panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other >>>>>>>>>>> possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot >>>>>>>>> accidental panspermia.

    Oh, mustn't forget *that*! :-)

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted, >>>>>>>>>> it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They >>>>>>>>>> seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to >>>>>>>>>> do so.

    --
    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov
    It seems to me that a case can be made for using the time required for life to arrive at certain
    milestones (first appearance, first photosynthesis, first eukayotes, multi-cellularity, etc) to
    represent the difficulty of arriving at that milestone. FIrst appearance of life on earth is somewhere
    between 200 - 500 My. All the subsequent advances required significantly more time, measured in Gy.
    SInce chemical building blocks are everywhere, and sufficiently earth-like conditions quite
    common, bacteria-grade life may be likewise common. Whether evolution proceeds to the
    level required to tickle the Fermi paradox is another question.

    Regardless of the fact that our sample size is rather small
    (1), that could be used to form a conjecture. Rather wide
    error bands, of course, although not as wide as those in the
    Drake Equation, which seems to hold a fascination for some
    even though all but the first three terms are WAGs with zero
    evidence in support. Of course, Frank Drake apparently
    didn't intend it as a serious way to calculate the number of
    civilizations in the galaxy, but as a stimulus for
    discussion.

    As for the Fermi Paradox, I don't consider it a paradox at
    all, but merely a statement that our complete lack of
    knowledge somehow forces us to ask where all the aliens are;
    it would be a paradox (sort of) only if we had never been
    visited by interstellar civilizations we *knew* to exist.
    But as someone put it, "If life is so easy, someone from
    somewhere must have come calling by now.". IMHO, any
    statement which incorporates "if' followed by "must have",
    based on conjectural premises rather than data, is far from
    rigorous.


    The "data" for the Fermi paradox is a straightforward computation
    which presumes only that stellar travel is possible. Once stellar
    travel is invented, expansion throughout a galaxy is almost a
    certainty within the lifetime of the galaxy. So either stellar travel >>>>> is impossible, or some process inhibits the consequent expansion, thus >>>>> a paradox.

    OK, I see the reasoning. But the possibilities aren't
    exhausted by the stated ones; at the least, it would
    require, in addition to the capability, the desire for
    interstellar travel. Assuming such a desire on the part of
    an alien civilization is anthropomorphic.


    My description above isn't meant to be exhaustive. But since you
    mention it, a desire for interstellar travel is a consequence of a
    common evolutionary strategy to expand and overcome, one not limited
    to humans.

    Those are assumptions. Change "is a strategy" to "is usually
    a strategy among known species" and change "one not limited
    to humans" to "which may be not limited to humans" and I'll
    accept it. Bottom line: We have a sample of *one* ecology,
    and no knowledge of any other. Ignorance doesn't confer
    surety.

    Unfortunately, Ignorance all to often *does* confer surety. It does not >confer trustworthiness nor justify surety.

    OK, point taken.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Sat Dec 9 15:55:57 2023
    On Sat, 09 Dec 2023 13:54:36 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Sat, 9 Dec 2023 08:24:23 -0800, Mark Isaak ><[email protected]> wrote:

    On 12/8/23 10:22 PM, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Fri, 08 Dec 2023 09:19:18 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    Yet another post which I noticed failed to appear. More
    irony WRT CW...

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 09:01:28 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:24:20 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:19:57 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]> >>>>>> wrote:

    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 15:44:18 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson
    <[email protected]>:

    On Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:42:00?PM UTC-8, Bob Casanova wrote: >>>>>>>>> On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:31:25 +0000, the following appeared in >>>>>>>>> talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in >>>>>>>>>>> talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated >>>>>>>>>>>> through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural
    abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct >>>>>>>>>>>> panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other >>>>>>>>>>>> possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've >>>>>>>>>>> even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot >>>>>>>>>> accidental panspermia.

    Oh, mustn't forget *that*! :-)

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia >>>>>>>>> in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of >>>>>>>>> the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the >>>>>>>>> Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted, >>>>>>>>>>> it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by >>>>>>>>>>> anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They >>>>>>>>>>> seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to >>>>>>>>>>> do so.

    --
    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov
    It seems to me that a case can be made for using the time required for life to arrive at certain
    milestones (first appearance, first photosynthesis, first eukayotes, multi-cellularity, etc) to
    represent the difficulty of arriving at that milestone. FIrst appearance of life on earth is somewhere
    between 200 - 500 My. All the subsequent advances required significantly more time, measured in Gy.
    SInce chemical building blocks are everywhere, and sufficiently earth-like conditions quite
    common, bacteria-grade life may be likewise common. Whether evolution proceeds to the
    level required to tickle the Fermi paradox is another question. >>>>>>>>
    Regardless of the fact that our sample size is rather small
    (1), that could be used to form a conjecture. Rather wide
    error bands, of course, although not as wide as those in the
    Drake Equation, which seems to hold a fascination for some
    even though all but the first three terms are WAGs with zero
    evidence in support. Of course, Frank Drake apparently
    didn't intend it as a serious way to calculate the number of
    civilizations in the galaxy, but as a stimulus for
    discussion.

    As for the Fermi Paradox, I don't consider it a paradox at
    all, but merely a statement that our complete lack of
    knowledge somehow forces us to ask where all the aliens are;
    it would be a paradox (sort of) only if we had never been
    visited by interstellar civilizations we *knew* to exist.
    But as someone put it, "If life is so easy, someone from
    somewhere must have come calling by now.". IMHO, any
    statement which incorporates "if' followed by "must have",
    based on conjectural premises rather than data, is far from
    rigorous.


    The "data" for the Fermi paradox is a straightforward computation
    which presumes only that stellar travel is possible. Once stellar >>>>>> travel is invented, expansion throughout a galaxy is almost a
    certainty within the lifetime of the galaxy. So either stellar travel >>>>>> is impossible, or some process inhibits the consequent expansion, thus >>>>>> a paradox.

    OK, I see the reasoning. But the possibilities aren't
    exhausted by the stated ones; at the least, it would
    require, in addition to the capability, the desire for
    interstellar travel. Assuming such a desire on the part of
    an alien civilization is anthropomorphic.


    My description above isn't meant to be exhaustive. But since you
    mention it, a desire for interstellar travel is a consequence of a
    common evolutionary strategy to expand and overcome, one not limited
    to humans.

    Those are assumptions. Change "is a strategy" to "is usually
    a strategy among known species" and change "one not limited
    to humans" to "which may be not limited to humans" and I'll
    accept it. Bottom line: We have a sample of *one* ecology,
    and no knowledge of any other. Ignorance doesn't confer
    surety.

    Unfortunately, Ignorance all to often *does* confer surety. It does not >>confer trustworthiness nor justify surety.


    Assertion of ignorance where it does not exist illustrates a lack of >trustworthiness/surety.

    Yes, I've noticed that in posts by some here.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

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  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Sat Dec 9 15:54:05 2023
    On Sat, 09 Dec 2023 13:05:13 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Fri, 08 Dec 2023 15:58:53 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Fri, 08 Dec 2023 09:19:18 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 09:01:28 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    On Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:24:20 -0500, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by jillery <[email protected]>:

    On Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:19:57 -0700, Bob Casanova <[email protected]> >>>>>wrote:

    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 15:44:18 -0800 (PST), the following
    appeared in talk.origins, posted by erik simpson >>>>>><[email protected]>:

    On Monday, December 4, 2023 at 2:42:00?PM UTC-8, Bob Casanova wrote: >>>>>>>> On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:31:25 +0000, the following appeared in
    talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 21:10, Bob Casanova wrote:
    On Mon, 4 Dec 2023 19:12:12 +0000, the following appeared in >>>>>>>> >> talk.origins, posted by Ernest Major
    <{$to$}@meden.demon.co.uk>:

    On 04/12/2023 18:54, Ron Dean wrote:
    So, technically it might not be part of evolution, nevertheless, it's
    not irrelevant to the evolutionary scientist laboring in the field of
    OOL. Not to mention that the _fact_ that life had to _begin_ or there
    could be no evolution. Consequently, OOL is very relevant to evolution!

    Evolution operates regardless of whether life on earth originated >>>>>>>> >>> through spontaneous abiogenesis, directed abiogenesis, supernatural
    abiogenesis, spontaneous panspermia, local panspermia, direct >>>>>>>> >>> panspermia, transit through interuniversal portals, or some other >>>>>>>> >>> possibility that has escape my attention or imagination. You can appeal
    to the origin of life as a gap to stick your god\\\designer in, but a
    lack of knowledge of how life originated isn't an argument against the
    common descent with modification of life on earth through the agency of
    natural selection and other processes.

    I believe I've seen that posted here several times; I've
    even posted it myself.

    I've posted versions of that list a few times; this time I forgot >>>>>>>> >accidental panspermia.

    Oh, mustn't forget *that*! :-)

    Levity aside, it also seems that they forget that panspermia
    in any form implies fairly widespread abiogenesis (well,
    that's my take, since it happened here; Peter seems to be of
    the opinion that abiogenesis is so unlikely that it only
    happens at most once per galaxy, an unlikelihood for which
    there seems to be no actual evidence; plus the idea that the
    Earth is somehow "special" seems a bit much).

    I also believe that if n=number of times it has been posted, >>>>>>>> >> it also equals the number of times it has been ignored by
    anti-evolutionists (IOW, the willfully blind and deaf). They >>>>>>>> >> seem incapable of processing it, or unwilling to even try to >>>>>>>> >> do so.

    --
    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov
    It seems to me that a case can be made for using the time required for life to arrive at certain
    milestones (first appearance, first photosynthesis, first eukayotes, multi-cellularity, etc) to
    represent the difficulty of arriving at that milestone. FIrst appearance of life on earth is somewhere
    between 200 - 500 My. All the subsequent advances required significantly more time, measured in Gy.
    SInce chemical building blocks are everywhere, and sufficiently earth-like conditions quite
    common, bacteria-grade life may be likewise common. Whether evolution proceeds to the
    level required to tickle the Fermi paradox is another question.

    Regardless of the fact that our sample size is rather small
    (1), that could be used to form a conjecture. Rather wide
    error bands, of course, although not as wide as those in the
    Drake Equation, which seems to hold a fascination for some
    even though all but the first three terms are WAGs with zero >>>>>>evidence in support. Of course, Frank Drake apparently
    didn't intend it as a serious way to calculate the number of >>>>>>civilizations in the galaxy, but as a stimulus for
    discussion.

    As for the Fermi Paradox, I don't consider it a paradox at
    all, but merely a statement that our complete lack of
    knowledge somehow forces us to ask where all the aliens are;
    it would be a paradox (sort of) only if we had never been
    visited by interstellar civilizations we *knew* to exist.
    But as someone put it, "If life is so easy, someone from
    somewhere must have come calling by now.". IMHO, any
    statement which incorporates "if' followed by "must have",
    based on conjectural premises rather than data, is far from >>>>>>rigorous.


    The "data" for the Fermi paradox is a straightforward computation >>>>>which presumes only that stellar travel is possible. Once stellar >>>>>travel is invented, expansion throughout a galaxy is almost a >>>>>certainty within the lifetime of the galaxy. So either stellar travel >>>>>is impossible, or some process inhibits the consequent expansion, thus >>>>>a paradox.

    OK, I see the reasoning. But the possibilities aren't
    exhausted by the stated ones; at the least, it would
    require, in addition to the capability, the desire for
    interstellar travel. Assuming such a desire on the part of
    an alien civilization is anthropomorphic.


    My description above isn't meant to be exhaustive. But since you
    mention it, a desire for interstellar travel is a consequence of a
    common evolutionary strategy to expand and overcome, one not limited
    to humans.

    Those are assumptions. Change "is a strategy" to "is usually
    a strategy among known species" and change "one not limited
    to humans" to "which may be not limited to humans" and I'll
    accept it. Bottom line: We have a sample of *one* ecology,
    and no knowledge of any other. Ignorance doesn't confer
    surety.


    We know for a fact the strategy to expand and overcome is not limited
    to humans. There are many other species besides humans, from bacteria
    to chimpanzee, which are observed to practice it. Your expressed
    bottom line is erroneous.

    As I noted, we have a sample of exactly one ecology.
    Attributing its characteristics to others, no matter how
    logical it might seem to do so, is anthropomorphic (or to
    nitpick, terromorphic). Or maybe provincial is a better
    term; "here, therefore everywhere".

    Oh, and Mark pointed out that "confer" is incorrect, since
    the conferred surety might be erroneous, to which I agreed.

    So can I assume that this is the reply you referred to in
    the Chez Watt thread, and you didn't actually respond in
    that thread to my initial post, the one that didn't show up
    in my feed?

    IMHO, the full statement should be "If interstellar travel
    is possible, and IF any civilization capable of so traveling
    has the desire to do so, then they should be here at some
    time during the lifetime of the galaxy". In this I see no
    paradox, only a set of unknowns. And despite the fact that
    our star system is only 1/3 the age of the universe, it may
    be that early-population stars lacked some of the elements
    required for life, which had to wait for the proper
    environment, so "they've had plenty of time to get here" may
    be a false assumption, and we're only just getting to the
    point where a star-travelling civilization is possible. We
    simply *don't now*.

    While I suppose you could call the lack of desire. or a
    particular environmental restriction, a process which
    inhibits the expansion, I don't believe that was part of the >>>>assumption.

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

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  • From Mark Isaak@21:1/5 to All on Mon Dec 18 07:46:02 2023
    On 12/18/23 12:53 AM, Félix An wrote:
    [...]

    The thing is, the theory of evolution itself does not specify whether or
    not God exists, as that would be a theological, not scientific,
    question. I was at the Zhejiang Natural History Museum in Hangzhou a few
    days ago, and a sign claimed that biological life was definitely not the product of God, but of evolution. I find that statement very biased and
    not neutral. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. There is no evidence for or against the existence of God, so it is perfectly fine to believe either way while accepting the scientific consensus on evolution.

    Part of the problem with that sign is that there is no good definition
    of God. Sure, certain gods can be ruled out; it is probably safe to say
    that there are no superpowerful humanoid beings living at the summit of
    Mount Olympus, for example. But ideas of god vary widely, and some are
    so nebulous that they could apply to practically anything. No doubt
    there are people who believe that evolution itself is part of God. And
    nobody can make a case that they are wrong.

    --
    Mark Isaak
    "Wisdom begins when you discover the difference between 'That
    doesn't make sense' and 'I don't understand.'" - Mary Doria Russell

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  • From Bob Casanova@21:1/5 to All on Mon Dec 18 09:18:10 2023
    On Mon, 18 Dec 2023 16:53:19 +0800, the following appeared
    in talk.origins, posted by F�lix An
    <[email protected]>:


    <snip to the point>

    The thing is, the theory of evolution itself does not specify whether or
    not God exists, as that would be a theological, not scientific,
    question. I was at the Zhejiang Natural History Museum in Hangzhou a few
    days ago, and a sign claimed that biological life was definitely not the >product of God, but of evolution. I find that statement very biased and
    not neutral. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. There is no >evidence for or against the existence of God, so it is perfectly fine to >believe either way while accepting the scientific consensus on evolution.

    I, and others, have often made that point, that science and
    religion are not really related; science is about the search
    for objective and verifiable knowledge, while religion is
    about belief without objective evidence, or with only vague
    and/or ambiguous evidence, in support.

    The sign you referenced is essentially religious, being a
    statement of belief rather than evidence-based knowledge. Of
    course, it *is* rather difficult to prove a general
    negative; one *not* a triviality such as "there's not a
    visible elephant in that phone booth" (invisible, impalpable
    elephants, like God, are of course considerably more
    difficult to disprove :-) ).

    --

    Bob C.

    "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

    - Isaac Asimov

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  • From J. J. Lodder@21:1/5 to Mark Isaak on Mon Dec 18 20:49:56 2023
    Mark Isaak <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 12/18/23 12:53 AM, F�lix An wrote:
    [...]

    The thing is, the theory of evolution itself does not specify whether or not God exists, as that would be a theological, not scientific,
    question. I was at the Zhejiang Natural History Museum in Hangzhou a few days ago, and a sign claimed that biological life was definitely not the product of God, but of evolution. I find that statement very biased and
    not neutral. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. There is no evidence for or against the existence of God, so it is perfectly fine to believe either way while accepting the scientific consensus on evolution.

    Part of the problem with that sign is that there is no good definition
    of God.

    By Spinoza and Einstein, God and Nature
    are two words for the same thing.

    Sure, certain gods can be ruled out; it is probably safe to say
    that there are no superpowerful humanoid beings living at the summit of
    Mount Olympus, for example. But ideas of god vary widely, and some are
    so nebulous that they could apply to practically anything. No doubt
    there are people who believe that evolution itself is part of God. And
    nobody can make a case that they are wrong.

    By Percy Jackson, the Olympians have moved to the Empire State Building,
    floor six hundred,

    Jan

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