rlh@cvl.UUCP (Ralph L. Hartley) (11/22/84)
> It is estimated that the entire observable universe contains only > about 10^80 electrons. To be generous, suppose there were 10^80 nu- > cleotides, close enough together so that they could combine in chains > of length 1000 at the rate of one million combinations per second. > This process continues for five billion years (10^17 seconds). If > each chain was different, then (10^80)x(10^-3)x(10^6)x(10^17) = 10^100 > chains could be formed. What is the probability of obtaining any par- > ticular DNA gene as described by Salisbury above? The unfathomable > odds are (10^100)x(10^-600) = 10^-500 or 1 chance out of 1 followed by > 500 zeros! <<<<<< FLAME ON !!!! >>>>>> Not only it this a totally bogus argument, but Miller KNOWS that it is totally bogus! It has been gone over on the net in some detail. Apparently he hopes that it will be read by people who don't know any better. Of course it is (remotely) possible that he actually dosn't understand the fallacy, in which case I will humbly apologize and change the title of this posting to "Creationists are stupid". DO YOU CARE THAT YOU ARE BEING DISHONEST??!! In case anyone is new to the net, the fallacy is in assuming that "the probability of obtaining any particular DNA gene" has anything to do with the probability of life forming. Many other DNA sequences would have done just as well. This is like deciding that a ratio is large because the numerator is large without looking at the denominator. This objection especialy applies in this case since there is evidence that the denominator is also quite large. Ralph Hartley rlh@cvl siesmo!rlgvax!cvl!rlh
mark@elsie.UUCP (Mark J. Miller) (11/25/84)
> <<<<<< FLAME ON !!!! >>>>>> > > Not only it this a totally bogus argument, but Miller KNOWS that it is > totally bogus! It has been gone over on the net in some detail. > Apparently he hopes that it will be read by people who don't know any > better. Of course it is (remotely) possible that he actually dosn't > understand the fallacy, in which case I will humbly apologize > and change the title of this posting to "Creationists are stupid". > > DO YOU CARE THAT YOU ARE BEING DISHONEST??!! > Consider the nature of the God that Creationists believe in: One that creats the world about 6000 years ago; creats man in his own image, giving the species a marvelous and complex brain and the right and ability to use it; and then loads into his creation an overwhelming amount of evidence that the Universe was created 4 billion years ago and that mankind evolved from simpler organisms. In short, CREATIONISTS BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO LIES! Viewed in this light, their tactics are hardly surprising. -- Mark J. Miller NIH/NCI/DCE/LEC UUCP: decvax!harpo!seismo!elsie!mark Phone: (301) 496-5688