Petroleum, Design, Hoyle's Warning to the World

Great article, Glenn.
But let me play frivolous devil's advocate for Ross
before adding a far more serious and dire comment below:

FRIVOLOUS pro-Ross comment: Couldn't Ross argue that the ability to drill
deep holes, and the added ability, to invent mechanical engines that run
on petroleum, together constitute a providential coincidence that only
took place in the last hundred years, and together they assured that the
petroleum would be sucked out at a high rate and found plenty of uses for?
 Also, if mankind had been created and arrived on the scene much sooner,
he'd have been wiped out by the same cataclysm that drove the dinosaurs to
extinction, oh yeah, and he'd have to fight off the dinosaurs too for that
matter, while doing all that drilling, and later, fight off giant tree
sloths, megatheriums, and guinea pigs the size of Volkswagons. Good thing
man arrived on the geological scene when he did.

SERIOUS chilling comment: The famed astrophysicist, Hoyle, once made a
prediction regarding a possible future that the world's leaders need to
address more urgently now than ever before (though folks like Ross will
probably find a way to put a "designer's smile" on this too, should things
turn out this way):

"It has often been said that, if the human species fails to make a go of
it here on Earth, some other species will take over the running. In the
sense of developing high intelligence this is not correct. We have, or
soon will have, exhausted the necessary physical prerequisites so far as
this planet is concerned. With coal gone, oil gone, high-grade metallic
ores gone, no species however competent can make the long climb from
primitive conditions to high-level technology. This is a one-shot affair.
If we fail, this planetary system fails so far as intelligence is
concerned. The same will be true of other planetary systems. On each of
them there will be one chance, and one chance only. (Hoyle, 1964; emphasis
added)
For the complete article see
http://www.dieoff.com/page125.htm

"Glenn Morton" <glennmorton@entouch.net> writes:
>Hugh Ross' latest article in Connections, entitled the same as the title
>to
>this post claims that petroleum is an anthropic coincidence. I have
>written
>a response. Any criticisms would be welcome. the response is at
>http://home.entouch.net/dmd/petgift.htm
>
>It is sad that apologists don't think out the consequences of what they
>claim.
>
Received on Mon Oct 4 23:57:15 2004