Re: Salty Oceans

From: Keith Littleton (littlejo@vnet.net)
Date: Thu Nov 23 2000 - 01:56:17 EST

  • Next message: Bert M: "Re: Salty Oceans"

    On Wed Nov 15 2000 - 01:49:00 EST and in "Salty Oceans"
    at http://www.calvin.edu/archive/asa/200011/0160.html
    Jim Hofmann (jhofmann@fullerton.edu) wrote:

    >Greetings: As some of you know, I teach courses on
    >evolution and creation with my colleague Bruce Weber
    >at Cal State Fullerton. You can find our course at
    >
    >http://nsmserver2.fullerton.edu/departments/chemistry/evolution_creation/web/
    >
    >Jonathan Sarfati has recently posted a report on a young
    >earth creationist argument published by Austin and Humphreys
    >back in 1990. This is an argument based upon calculations
    >of inputs and outputs for salt in the oceans. You can
    >find SarfatiUs summary at:
    >
    >http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/3910.asp

    ... text deleted ...

    There is certain irony in the "salty oceans" argument
    made for a Young Earth by Young Earth creationists
    that I find somewhat amusing. This and similar Young
    Earth arguments is based an assumption of an absolute
    uniformity of the rates by which salts enter and leave
    the ocean by different processes that would gladden
    the heart of Lyell and his fellow uniformitarianists.
    The same Young Earth creationists that regularly heap
    abuse upon this version of uniformitarianism, readily
    embrace its assumptions when it suits their purposes
    for proving a Young Earth. It is ironic the same
    modern geologists and paleontologists that these
    Young Earth creationists falsely caricature as practicing
    Lyell's uniformitarianism would reject the
    hyper-uniformitarism that Austin and Sarfati assume in
    their arguments as being unrealistic to the point
    of being completely useless for making the calculations
    they make.

    To paraphrase Goldwater, these Young Earth creationists
    must think "Uniformitarianism in defense of a Young
    Earth is no vice." :-) It is strange to think that
    Austin and Sarfati are closet uniformitarianists when
    it serves their arguments.

    Keith Littleton
    littlejo@vnet.net
    New Orleans, LA

    Dr. Stephen Franklin: "It's all so brief, isn't it?
       Typical human lifespan is almost a hundred years,
       but it's barely a second compared to what's out
       there. It wouldn't be so bad if life didn't take
       so long to figure out. Seems you just start to
       get it right and then .. it's over."

    Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova: "Doesn't matter. If we
       lived two hundred years, we'd still be human.
       We'd still make the same mistakes."

    Franklin: "You're a pessimist."

    Ivanova: "I am Russian, Doctor. We understand
       these things."

        Babylon 5 Episode "Soul Hunter"
    http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/guide/002.html



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