ward@hao.UUCP (Mike Ward) (03/23/85)
[] >Evolutionists clearly believe in evolution. It is less clear exactly >what mechanisms you propose to account for, say, speciation. >Punctuated Equilibrium? Phyletic gradualism? Chromosomal >transformation? Reproductive isolation as a RESULT of geographical >isolation? Reproductive isolation by chromosomal transformation as a >CAUSE of new species? ........... >But creationists are equally clear on the "what" of that which they >believe: they believe that evolution has *not* occurred. The real >question, of course, is HOW. How did evolution occur, or how did >creation occur/how does non-evolution maintain? How creation occurred >is probably unanswerable. How organismal stability is maintained is >open to investigation and is, of course, in need of explication by >creationists. Here we have the true statement of the nonscientific nature of creationism: The real question is HOW, and for creationism, that question is unanswerable. For science, that question is so far unanswered, but answerable. There are any number of schools of science (Paul does a very good job of listing the major ones for us) that have ideas on the matter, and evidence and basic knowlege are bringing us to the point where we can expect to see that question answered in our lifetime. How can any scientific discipline deal with a subject whose mechanics are unknowable? As an aside, it is notable that there are no major schools of creationist (that I am aware of) that are busy answering the questions of organismal stability. I can state my position on this subject very clearly and succinctly. I believe that the present body of knowledge makes this the most probable explanation of the origin of life as we know it: that all present organisms evolved, through time and natural processes, from earlier organisms; that life evolved from non-life through time and natural processes; and that these processes will someday be understood (assuming the survival of the scientific culture). -- Michael Ward, NCAR/SCD UUCP: {hplabs,nbires,brl-bmd,seismo,menlo70,stcvax}!hao!ward ARPA: hplabs!hao!ward@Berkeley BELL: 303-497-1252 USPS: POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307