Re: Arhtur Dent's Daughter?
Posted by Utahraptor on 16 February 1999 at 08:09:25:
In Reply to: Random posted by Jurassosaurus on 16 February 1999 at 05:01:00:
: Well, I wasn't going to get involved, but then you had to go and paraphrase from Fred Hoyle. :
: the same of a tornado blowing thru a homedespot and throwing together a apartment complex."
: The original (albeit possibly paraphrased) quote went something like this:
:
: "Believing that evolution can happen is like believing that a hurricane can blow through a junkyard and create a Boeing 747." (Hoyle 1981)
: Mr. Hoyle, had no idea what the hell he was talking about. His basis was on the claim that life was created through a series of chance, random acts (abiogenesis). The problem was that Mr. Hoyle was using a general randomness as his example, but abiogenesis doesn't work on that principle, nor does evolution.
: So before you can go knocking evolution and abiogenesis you must first define random.
: In science random is simply a series of actions that have no apparent order and/or a process that we are as of yet unfamiliar of.
: In the Hoyle quote, a 747 could easily be made through randomness. Assume that there is a junkyard full of old parts. Also in this junkyard we find robots. Each robot is programmed for a specific task (i.e. build a wing, a propeller, a jet engine, etc.) and then connect it to part X. The randomness comes in when the hurricane strikes. The 400 mph winds power a turbine which creates the power for the robots. Given enough time and enough windstorms, the 747 would eventually be built.
: Now your probably saying: "How can you use preprogrammed robots? Doesn't that imply a creator?" The answer is a flat out no. The robots and programms are irrelevant. This was mearly to explain why chance must be assigned and not simply generalized. If we were to get more biological then replace the junkyard with Precambrian earth, the robots with carbons and other elements and the program with their natural attraction to eachother (especially carbon and silicon). The randomness would be the sun itself.
: See it's not so hard now is it?
: On another note, can't you guys move this flaming over to another board? You know AOL has forums made specifically for this (or at least I think they were made specifically for it).
Actually, I buy inot God controls evolution myself. So rnaodmness is not sue,d but plannign is. Unless God jsut decideds to go Metamorphasis, and sees whta ahppens next. In whcihc ase, you got a point. Afetr all, this guy cna't even use an ' or caps. Ot thta unused briasn cna actaully psot, least fo all without the other half knowing. Sad what happens when you're only half a brain. Why won't Mestopolopalous stop using different names for himself?