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Author Topic:   How Darwin caused atheism
Coyote
Member (Idle past 2136 days)
Posts: 6117
Joined: 01-12-2008


Message 55 of 122 (601502)
01-20-2011 9:47 PM
Reply to: Message 53 by jar
01-20-2011 9:32 PM


Re: I'm old and forgetfull but ...
... didn't the Enlightenment start just after Darwin published "On the Origin of Species"?
No, it was quite a bit earlier.
From Wiki:
The Age of Enlightenment (or simply the Enlightenment) is the era in Western philosophy, intellectual, scientific and cultural life, centered upon the 18th century, in which reason was advocated as the primary source for legitimacy and authority. It is also known as the Age of Reason.[1] The enlightenment was a movement of science and reason.

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 Message 53 by jar, posted 01-20-2011 9:32 PM jar has seen this message but not replied

  
Coyote
Member (Idle past 2136 days)
Posts: 6117
Joined: 01-12-2008


Message 65 of 122 (601515)
01-20-2011 10:58 PM
Reply to: Message 64 by ApostateAbe
01-20-2011 10:41 PM


Re: good for the goose
Yes, I agree completely. Skeptics have an interest in linking the two ideas primarily because they want the theory of evolution to be dependent on abiogenesis, and one of their arguments is that abiogenesis would be at the origin and root of the entire tree of life. They sometimes claim that abiogenesis is the "foundation" of the theory of evolution. The opposite reaction--completely separating abiogenesis from the theory of evolution--would be another misleading extreme. There is no doubt that abiogenesis has a strong relation to the theory of evolution--it really is the best explanation for the beginning of the root of the tree--but it would not be the essential foundation of the ToE.
The theory of evolution is not dependent on abiogenesis! NOT! NEVER HAS BEEN! ISN'T! NO HOW!
The theory of evolution works equally well if abiogenesis occurred, some deity (Loki maybe) created life, life was started from outer space, or life was transferred back from the future. In any of these cases the theory of evolution works the same.
Given that there is no evidence whatsoever for deities, that explanation might be discounted, but at present we don't have any firm evidence for or against the other alternatives.
But that doesn't matter! Evolution works just fine in any case.

Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 64 by ApostateAbe, posted 01-20-2011 10:41 PM ApostateAbe has replied

Replies to this message:
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Coyote
Member (Idle past 2136 days)
Posts: 6117
Joined: 01-12-2008


Message 118 of 122 (612422)
04-15-2011 12:37 PM
Reply to: Message 117 by Tram law
04-15-2011 12:26 PM


Fundies and evolution
Tram law writes:
Why wouldn't Evolution be concerned with the origin of life?
It seems to be it should be, because how can life evolve without the earliest life form?.
The field of evolution was established to observe and try to explain the existing species, not origins. They are separate fields. Germ theory, for example, doesn't need to explain the origin of germs, merely how they act to cause diseases.
Tram law writes:
So somewhere in evolution it seems that there should be some sort of first cause. And evolution should be able to answer that.
Evolution will work just the same whether:
--There is a natural origin,
--Some deity poofed things into existence,
--Time travelers from the future planted the first life,
--Life came from outer space, or
--Other.
Tram law writes:
And the thing is, if evolution doesn't concern itself with that, it will simply give the fundies more cause to blast away at evolution.
They do anyway, so what's the difference? Anything that they think contradicts their various beliefs will be blasted.

Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 117 by Tram law, posted 04-15-2011 12:26 PM Tram law has not replied

  
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