Evolution of proteins in sequence space

From: pruest@pop.dplanet.ch
Date: Fri Aug 10 2001 - 10:24:10 EDT

  • Next message: John W Burgeson: "Re: Taking Scripture seriously from Re: The Wheel of God"

    Keith B Miller wrote:
    >
    > Dave (David F Siemens) began his comments with the statement:
    >
    > >Your points are well taken if the result has to be a scientific theory.
    >
    > This is precisely my point. Many progressive creationist scenarios have no
    > way of being tested scientifically. As Howard points out, the number of
    > scenarios that can be posited are unlimited. Such a position could be held
    > regardless of the detail of our scientific knowledge. As such, support for
    > such a position must be argued on other grounds. That is why many of us on
    > this list have stressed that theological issues must be faced squarely and
    > directly.
    >
    > If someone is to claim that science provides a warrant for their
    > interventionist view then they must provide a rigorous justification for
    > such intervention including specifying precisely at which point such
    > intervention is believed to have occurred.
    >
    > Keith

    Keith,

    I am not defending "coercive" or "irruptive" divine "interventions" in
    Howard Van Till's sense of the terms. I prefer to believe in acts of
    divine _providence_ infusing novel information at many points. At the
    scientific level, they would not be detectable, being at the level of
    quantum uncertainties or "random" events.

    But can you specify any feasible scientific tests for the following
    propositions? (If not, why not?)

    (1) Life can emerge spontaneously by purely natural means.

    (2) Novel enzymatic activities (not slight modifications or new
    combinations of pre-existing ones) can emerge spontaneously by purely
    natural means.

    Peter 

    -- 
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Peter Ruest			Biochemistry
Wagerten			Creation and evolution
CH-3148 Lanzenhaeusern		Tel.:	++41 31 731 1055
Switzerland			E-mail:	<pruest@dplanet.ch
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	In biology - there's no free lunch -
		and no information without an adequate source.
	In Christ - there is free and limitless grace -
		for those of a contrite heart.
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