RE: [asa] Darwin only biological evolution? (can anything exist without evolution?)

I'm still having difficulty understanding the question.

You say:
"For instance, must everything die that became a living entity?"

If we were to live forever, I'd suppose we'd need those required inputs to also be available forever. Inputs = sun, food, water. Take one of those away, and death is the consequence (and there's likely many more required inputs than just those). Also, death is a part of life- part of the design of life- because without it the Earth would not be sustainable. We'd all be tripping over each other. And how could we eat if there was no death? Even if we ate things that were alive- they'd then die- unless they then live inside us (but then we can't digest it).

When you say:
"Also, death is death and I see no way one can talk about death evolving."

I think you are referring to my challenge of "show me something existing that hasn't evolved."

If so, in this case, death is not an object in the real world. It is an absence of life. In other words, you can't grasp death with your senses- it is not material or energy. Neither are thoughts and ideas, but they can be grasped and manipulated. It is like darkness- not an object, but the absence of light.

In a way, death has evolved- see CS Lewis' last chapter in "Mere Christianity." Because of Christ, we can now break away from death... that is evolution regarding the death-state (in the sense that CS Lewis explains it- he uses evolution as an analogy for the gospel and Christian life/experience).

...Bernie

-----Original Message-----
From: Alexanian, Moorad [mailto:alexanian@uncw.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 10:46 AM
To: Dehler, Bernie; asa@calvin.edu
Subject: RE: [asa] Darwin only biological evolution? (can anything exist without evolution?)

One can interpret my question as to the origin of death, which must be clearly related to the origin of life. For instance, must everything die that became a living entity? Also, death is death and I see no way one can talk about death evolving.

Moorad

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On Behalf Of Dehler, Bernie
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 1:37 PM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: RE: [asa] Darwin only biological evolution? (can anything exist without evolution?)

Moorad said:
"In what sense is the death of a living being said to have evolved? Do we have to invoke an afterlife?"

I don't understand what you are asking. Can you state your question with more explanation so I can attempt to answer?

...Bernie

-----Original Message-----
From: Alexanian, Moorad [mailto:alexanian@uncw.edu]
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 1:29 PM
To: Dehler, Bernie; asa@calvin.edu
Subject: RE: [asa] Darwin only biological evolution? (can anything exist without evolution?)

I think the term "evolve" may say or assume more than our knowledge that all that exists is embedded in spacetime. Therefore, there is time-development in general but evolving means much more than that mere fact. In what sense is the death of a living being said to have evolved? Do we have to invoke an afterlife?

Moorad

________________________________
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On Behalf Of Dehler, Bernie [bernie.dehler@intel.com]
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 11:32 AM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: RE: [asa] Darwin only biological evolution? (can anything exist without evolution?)

Gregory said:
"Once one asks questions such as 'when is something not a mimic?' or 'what are examples of things that don't evolve?' they will see the limitations and boundaries of the concept/percept in question."

I don't think there are any examples what-so-ever of anything that has not evolved. If you can think of just one, give an example, and I think I can explain to you how it evolved.

...Bernie

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Received on Wed Jan 14 16:36:26 2009