>Susan
>>in that case I need to know what orthodox Darwinism is. I think the
>>history of life is a history of change. I think that all life evolved from
>>a common ancestor--that ancestor being a self-replicating molecule. I
>>think the fossil record demonstrates this very clearly along with the DNA
>>smiliarities of everything that is alive. (Our DNA is 98% identical with
>>chimps. Has anyone ever wondered how identical our DNA is to that of
>>yeast?. It's not 98% but it's high.) I think that Darwin's original ideal
>>of variation and natural selection are the mechanism for change. I think
>>mutations are the source of variation. I think it all happened
>>gradually--as humans reckon time. I think evolution does not always proceed
>>at the same pace and sometimes can move blindly fast--as geologists reckon
>>time.
>
>Bertvan:
>Hi Susan,
>That is a clear, honest statement of your position, and is probably close to
>how the public views Darwinism. I assume it includes abiogenesis?
"that ancestor being a self-replicating molecule" is abiogenesis.
>And the
>common definition of random? Other opponents of ID on the board have
>sometimes expressed opposition to some of your beliefs, but the only
>opposition which arouses your ire seems to be those views which allows the
>*possibility* of a god. Just an impression. You might try to correct if it
>isn't true.
Cliff doesn't like the idea that I think gradualism--though it is sometimes
very rapid gradualism--is necessary. He has a non-mainstream explanation of
the Cambrian Explosion that he thinks refutes gradualism. He keeps the idea
pretty close to his chest. It took me a while to figure out what bothered
him about my arguments.
Susan
----------
The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our
actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only
morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.
--Albert Einstein
http://www.telepath.com/susanb/
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