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Author Topic:   Crop circles and intelligent design
Morte
Member (Idle past 6103 days)
Posts: 140
From: Texas
Joined: 05-03-2004


Message 3 of 150 (180687)
01-26-2005 2:19 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Aximili23
01-25-2005 10:17 PM


First of all, I'd like to compliment you on your apparent openmindedness on the issue and well-thought out opening post, as well as welcome you to the site.
I think there are actually two different queries to be answered here:
quote:
So here, we have a phenomenon that takes place in the real world, the cause of which we have not always fully observed and therefore do not fully understand, and yet we can seem to agree that an unknown intelligence has guided this process. And this conclusion does not seem to be criticized as being unscientific.
And I think that the answer to this, for a large part, is simply that crop circles are not as often considered scientifically. Whereas intelligent design and evolution are concepts that are debated nearly constantly in a scientific context, crop circles are generally more of the "everyday conversation" form of topic. (I suppose the association with science fiction and the paranormal may cause some to feel foolish discussing them scientifically, as well.)
However, the more important question, I think, is the latter:
quote:
So my question is, what is the inherent difference between our interpretation of crop circles as being intelligently designed, and a creationists interpretation of biological structures as being intelligently designed?
If you ask me (being one who believes that they are a result of human activity), the difference is similar to the difference between interpreting a house as being intelligently designed and a biological structure as being intelligently designed. In one case, while you cannot necessarily prove that the house was built by humans, the evidence overwhelmingly indicates that this is so. Similarly, since it is clearly within human capabilities to form a crop circle and there is no evidence to indicate otherwise, that seems the most likely explanation. I guess what I'm saying is that the difference between the two is that we know that humans exist, and that humans could have designed the crop circle, therefore we infer that this is the case; but since an intelligent designer for biological structures is not nearly so demonstrable nor the process so easily replicated, there is no reason to believe one was involved. It's not so much a question of evidence as it is a question of lack of evidence.
(Side note: Am extremely drowsy at the moment, so I'll try to edit this tomorrow if it is incoherent or doesn't say what I mean it to - as I strongly suspect the last paragraph does not in its current form.)
{Added in edit: Well, it made more sense than I thought it would, at least. But essentially, I mean the same thing as holmes said in a much less eloquent way. }
This message has been edited by Morte, 01-27-2005 01:23 AM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Aximili23, posted 01-25-2005 10:17 PM Aximili23 has not replied

  
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