On Sun, 28 Jan 1996 04:51:13 -0500 you wrote:
[...]
>"Reinventing Darwin: The great debate at the high table of evolutionary
>theory" by Niles Eldredge. New York, Wiley, 1995. 244 pages, bibliography,
>index. Hardcover; $27.95.
[...]
>_Reinventing Darwin_ will provide little comfort to young-earth
>creationists. Eldredgeaims not to destroy evolution, but to show how it
>must proceed to be consistent with observable patterns in the fossil record
>and among species living today. However, Eldredge's view of evolution
>acknowledges the complex web of interconnected nonlinear dynamical systems
>which comprise nature. Such a model is chaotic and exhibits sensitive
>dependence on initial conditions and disturbances. In principle,
>infinitesimal disturbances can cause significant redirection of the system
>trajectory. Such behavior may explain how an omniscient Creator influences
>nature undetected. Whether or not God uses the properties of nonlinear
>dynamics to direct nature, a model which aims to account for all relevant
>natural influences seems more satisfying than one which simply claims that
>all phenomena result from the drive to reproduce.
[...]
Thanks for the review Bill. Progressive Creation would be quite
comfortable with the above, complex interacting view of nature. One
of the charges levelled against Neo-Darwinists is that it represents a
19th century mechanistic view of nature, which is out of step with
modern physics. I found amusing this excerpt from a debate between
Phil Johnson and Will Provine:
"Will was kind enough to say flattering things about my intelligence,
so I want to be sure and return the compliment. Will Provine has one
of the great minds of the nineteenth century. What you have just
heard is the mechanistic, atheistic village rationalism which says if
we can just understand that we are simply mindless machines which need
fixing -- and if we stop treating people as independent human agents
created by God -- then we can solve all of our problems. We'll have
this "scientific" approach." (Darwinism: Science or Naturalistic
Philosophy? A debate between William B. Provine and Phillip E.
Johnson at Stanford University, April 30, 1994)
God bless.
Stephen
----------------------------------------------------------------
| Stephen Jones ,--_|\ sjones@iinet.net.au |
| 3 Hawker Ave / Oz \ http://www.iinet.net.au/~sjones/ |
| Warwick 6024 ->*_,--\_/ phone +61 9 448 7439. (These are |
| Perth, Australia v my opinions, not my employer's) |
----------------------------------------------------------------