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Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.
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Hahahaha.
Btw It was a complex topic to me, but I learn a lot reading you guys. Thanks for that.
Too long. I didn't bother to read all of it. Eyes are amazing. Dawkins explains the evolution of the eye in amazing detail. try reading a science book
Try reading a science book lol.......... same to you I guess.
That was a tad blunt lol, but I would agree on one point in that Richard Dawkins articulates the concept beautiful.
Please read The Blind Watchmaker if you have the inclination to do so..
Dawkins dispels the idea that complexity cannot arise without the intervention of a "creator", And uses the example of the eye.
He begins with a simple organism, capable only of distinguishing between light and dark, in only the crudest fashion, he takes you through a series of minor modifications, which build in sophistication until we arrive at the elegant and complex mammalian eye.
He also points to several creatures whose various seeing apparatus are, whilst still useful, living examples of intermediate levels of complexity.
The eye has evolved more than once. Our eyes can be traced back to a fluke. Fluke: Not a random mistake but a lancet worm. Use your eyes and read real science books!
Oh geez, its funny lol. I'm always being told to go read books. Sometimes I feel as if the people who say that, don't actually read books themselves.
Just so there's no confusion.
I own/read the Blind Watchmaker, the Selfish Gene, and the Greatest Show on Earth. As well as certain Stephen Jay Gould books. I've read textbooks on Neuroscience, Sensation & Perception, the Physiology of Behavior, Neurobiology, and Neuropsychology, Organic Chemistry, and Microbiology (I've obviously read more textbooks than that, but these are pertinent to the discussion). I own/read books from Steven Pinker, David Eagleman, Sam Harris, Oliver Sacks, Daniel Kahneman, Paul Bloom, Robert Sapolsky, and others (again I've obviously read more, but these authors are psychologists, neuroscientists, neurologists, and that's what we're discussing here).
I'm fairly confident no one else in this thread has studied this topic and related fields more than me. If they did they don't behave as if they did. Truth be told the only other person I believe actually reads a lot of books is Angiebot.
The rest of you need to put down your autographed Dawkins books, and pick up an actual textbook lol.
So, sir, this means you fool me about the 73 books for all humanity on another thread... you little devil! xD I'm glad you did (I mean, it wasn't true...)
Hahaha, no, no you're wrong. My father has been reading a book per week for most of his life. I feel that I'm not a good reader, if I compare myself to him. My parents' house has books everywhere... Yes, I love reading, that's my favourite hobby.
But as a matter of fact, I bought 3 books a few days ago (Why I'm not a Christian, At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails and a history book), but I only started reading the first, becase I'm supposed to be studying to pass my exams for a public job in february instead (and also because you people suck all my energy!) xD
P.S. edited.
John" I'm fairly confident no one else in this thread has studied this topic and related fields more than me. If they did they don't behave as if they did. Truth be told the only other person I believe actually reads a lot of books is Angiebot."
You have studied hard but are still stuck on that "irreducible complexity" nonsense. So...who is not behaving like a scholar?
In my opinion, the one who hasn't bothered discussing the subject (you). They say the wise keep silent, but I highly doubt wisdom explains your silence.
Evolution from single celled organisms : Impossible!
Irreducible complexity from a magicians wand: Of course! But I thought we can't get something from nothing?
To put the theists logic in terms you might understand:
A rock becoming a Ferrari - impossible.
A person extracting the metal from rocks and making a Ferrari - of course.
Such as nature pulling amino acids to form complex self replicating organisms through random mutation and natural selection? Or as in a smeltering process extracting ores and refining metals? If you are equivocating a gods ability to extract basic building blocks from a pre-existing universe with metal extraction I would challenge you to explain the process or admit that it is magic.
Interesting, and how often do we see amino acids pulling together to form complex self replicating organisms? About as many times as we see rocks transforming into Ferraris.
You for instance!
My amino acids came from another living thing. Last I checked, that's a Creationist argument.
Regardless of where they came from they came together to form you and continue to do so.
What a disappointing answer from someone who believe rocks can turn into biological Ferraris on their own.
Rocks? Sounds like magic to me.
Sounds like magic to me as well. Next time you want to claim Ferraris (living organism) can come from rocks (Earth) on their own, keep in mind some of us don't believe in magic.
When did I claim Ferrari 's can come from rocks? Certain materials that go into their manufacturing do, I am sure.
When does irreducible complexity amount to any thing but magic?
You're a nurse, your job is to interact with the consequences of reducing our complexity: Disease, disorders, and death.
Disease, disorder, and death is reducing our complexity? How poetic! I have witnessed these happenings but never witnessed a magician waving his magic wand and impacting any of it.
Complexity (as it is typically used) is increased by disorder, not the other way around; but of course we know you aren't using it the standard way; and can't/won't define it.
I have no problem with this, since no matter which way the pendulum swings we have disease and disorders. Reduce anything and you have problems, increase anything (as you just stated) and you have problems. Yet evolution hinges on increases not causing disorder and certainly not death.
I think anyone can pick up a dictionary and see the definition. If you're using a different definition and refuse to divulge that information then I'm not liable.
Evolution hinges on increases?
My bad, clearly you get from a single cell organism to a human by decreasing information and complexity, right? Watch the videos your fellow atheists are posting for the evolution the eye. Do you see an increase or a decrease in the eye?
increasing but not causing disorder? I don't get that sentence either.
@ chimp,
Have you read "The selfish gene"? hints to your point.
Three times. Will read again. A classic!
I think I've only read one book by any of the authors you mentioned, and never taken a serious biology class; yet have no trouble spotting false statements from you about evolution. I wonder why that is?
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