Randomness and complex organization via evolution

From: Bertvan@aol.com
Date: Tue Jul 11 2000 - 12:22:16 EDT

  • Next message: Brian D Harper: "Re: Randomness and complex organization via evolution"

     
    Chris:
    >One reason is that randomness *is* complex organization.

    Hi Chris,
    Science is what we know about the universe. What we know about the history
    of life on earth is meager. We know that different organisms have existed at
    different times, that they are in some respects similar and perhaps related,
    but that the differences are also great enough to avoid explanation. At the
    moment any theories of how this came about is speculation, speculation
    usually designed to accommodate some particular philosophy, such as theism or
    atheism. I haven't included agnosticism because one definition of an agnostic
    is the ability to live comfortably with unexplained phenomena. We also
    indulge in speculations but I think we are a little less likely to claim them
    as "thruth".

    You have accommodated your philosophy (no plan, purpose, design or teleology)
    with the facts by defining randomness as "complex organization". To me that
    is a little like defining up as down , or defining black as white, but I have
    no objection. We each have the responsibility of coming up with a way to
    accommodate our philosophy to the facts. If a more complete understanding of
     "evolution" is ever achieved, it will come from speculations of people with
    diverse philosophies, including Cliff's speculations about symbiosis. (Like
    you, I believe diversity is one of life's most defining characteristics, and
    I place the same value upon diversity of opinion.) Theorizing leads to
    stagnation, only when some particular theory is declared to be "scientific
    truth".

    Bertvan
    http://members.aol.com/bertvan



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