On Mon, 19 Jan 1998 19:16:40 -0600, Glenn Morton wrote:
[...]
GM>WHY should ammonites be layered WORLDWIDE by suture shape?????
>Evolution is the only answer where various animals evolved and died
>out at successive times.
Your statement that "Evolution is the only answer where various
animals evolved and died out at successive times" is a tautology. Of
course if the "various animals evolved" then "Evolution is the only
answer". But if we make it non-tautologous by substituting "changed
over time" for "evolved", we have:
"Evolution is the only answer where various animals [changed over
time and died out at successive times]."
But then it can be seen that there are other answers like Progressive
Creation or Mediate Creation.
And how about defining what you mean by "evolution"? Let's try some
substituting some definitions of "evolution" in your above statement.
1. Change through time. The California Science Framework defines
"evolution" as "change through time" (Johnson P.E., "Darwin on
Trial", 1993, p145). Are you saying that:
"[Change through time] is the only answer where various animals
evolved and died out at successive times."
2. Change of gene frequencies in populations. Gould says that "
`change of gene frequencies in populations' is the `official"
definition of evolution' " (Gould S.J., "Hen's Teeth and Horse's
Toes", 1984, p335). Therefore, are you saying that:
"[Change of gene frequencies in population] is the only answer where
various animals evolved and died out at successive times."
3. An unsupervised, impersonal, unpredictable natural process. The
1995 official Position Statement of the American National Association
of Biology Teachers defines evolution as: "an unsupervised,
impersonal, unpredictable and natural process of temporal descent
with genetic modification that is affected by natural selection,
chance, historical contingencies and changing environments.'
(National Association of Biology Teachers, 1995 Statement on Teaching
Evolution, in Johnson P.E., "Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds",
1997, pp15-16). I presume as a theist you are not saying that:
"[An unsupervised, impersonal, unpredictable and natural process of
temporal descent with genetic modification that is affected by
natural selection, chance, historical contingencies and changing
environments] is the only answer where various animals evolved and
died out at successive times."
4. Camel (horse designed by a committee): Dobzhansky, et. al.,
define organic evolution as:
"a series of partial or complete and irreversible transformations of
the genetic composition of populations, based principally upon
altered interactions with their environment. It consists chiefly of
adaptive radiations into new environments, adjustments to
environmental changes that take place in a particular habitat, and
the origin of new quays for exploiting existing habitats. These
adaptive changes occasionally give rise to greater complexity of
developmental pattern, of physiological reactions and of interactions
between populations and their environment." (Dobzhansky T., Ayala
F.J. Stebbins G.L. & Valentine J.W. "Evolution", W. H. Freeman &
Co: San Francisco, 1977, p8). Perhaps you are saying that:
"[a series of partial or complete and irreversible transformations of
the genetic composition of populations, based principally upon
altered interactions with their environment, consisting chiefly of
adaptive radiations into new environments, adjustments to
environmental changes that take place in a particular habitat, and
the origin of new quays for exploiting existing habitats, these
adaptive changes occasionally give rise to greater complexity of
developmental pattern, of physiological reactions and of interactions
between populations and their environment] is the only answer where
various animals evolved and died out at successive times."
Which of these (or any other) definition of "evolution" do you mean
when you claim that:
"Evolution is the only answer where various animals evolved and died
out at successive times."
God bless,
Steve
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Stephen E (Steve) Jones ,--_|\ sejones@ibm.net
3 Hawker Avenue / Oz \ Steve.Jones@health.wa.gov.au
Warwick 6024 ->*_,--\_/ Phone +61 8 9448 7439
Perth, West Australia v "Test everything." (1Thess 5:21)
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