tagged w/ Intelligent Design
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I know how Copernicus must have felt. He's the fellow who first posited that the Sun, and not Earth, was at the center of the universe. For his trouble he was branded a heretic and ostrasized by the Catholic church. It turns out Nicolaus was right and the Pope, not so much. It's a familiar story. It has legs. It's still happening at the hands of the far right ignorati.I know how Copernicus must have felt. He's the fellow who first posited that the... more
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Creationism "proves" the wicked were cast out from the Garden of Peanuts, so sayeth Chuck Missler.Creationism "proves" the wicked were cast out from the Garden of Peanuts, so... more
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It’s the 59th anniversary of the Miss USA pageant. Over the years the lovely contestants have given us a bird’s eye view (though oddly no wardrobe malfunctions) into what makes a potential Miss USA tick.It’s the 59th anniversary of the Miss USA pageant. Over the years the lovely... more
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Imzadi
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added this
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8 months ago
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fossils show that Dragonflies started out very similar to hummingbirds, with only one wing on each side that beat many times every second. The development over time of an additional second, heretofore vestigial, wing on each side allowed the then-eagle-sized (~6-ft wingspans) insects to conserve more of their energy, as with TWICE as many wings, it only was necessary to flap them HALF as often for each beat-stroke.
The same was true in our own development. Our ancestors were one of two varieties of great apes to descent form the trees (of African forests that were shrinking into Savannah’s due to climate shifts several million years ago.)
One kind developed into what we know today as Baboons and mandarins; the other ventured out onto the growing Savannah, developing knee joints that could lock in a straight position (ape’s knees can’t, so they must walk bow-legged, which is more exhausting of more energy).
[see: Lucy, and the recent Ardi discovery).
This allowed our ancestors to see up and over the tall grasses of the plains to scan for threats or for potential food sources.This adaptation also freed their front limbs, which developed more dexterous finger, and opposable thumbs separate from the other four; which could then be used to more accurately grasp objects picked up off the ground, or out of overhead trees; be it fruit from a bush, or a long stick or heavy rock for use as a defensive weapon or tool.
Again, with each passing generation, those who were least well able to adapt to changing situations did not survive, whereas those with particularly advantageous variations which allowed them to adjust to changing conditions persisted to produce healthier and stronger prodigy; and in the process passing on the advantageous adaptations to the next generations.
Life on earth started in the water about 4 Billion years ago, with single-celled algae-like plants, which fed on our planets richly methane-saturated atmosphere; and the amoeba-like animals that fed on them. Plants spread to inhabit the land about 3 billion years ago, followed quickly by arthropods (insects); but animal life, for the large part, remained confined to the oceans, which soon became overly crowded with hundreds of different kinds of fish. Some of these fish developed from exoskeleton (like crabs and lobsters and octopus/squid; to grow backbone, or spine, and skeleton of first cartilage, and then calcified-rich bones. These first vertebrates, or "bony fish" out-competed the invertebrates, but were outnumbered by the cartilaginous fish, and crowded out. The quickly growing land-plants had developed photosynthetic chloroplast structures out of the watery chlorophyll fluid that had first filled their algae predecessors; and had begun introducing what was, at that time, a highly noxious pollutant in the Chlorofluorocarbon-abundant atmosphere of the planet: OXYGEN. The product was a third atmosphere, mostly nitrogen and water, but rich in oxygen and carbon-dioxide, good for plants. It also allowed the over-crowded-out bony vertebrates, to adapt to an amphibious lifestyle; mostly in the oceans, but coming onto land to breed and lay their eggs (much like modern-day green leather-backed sea turtles.)
These amphibious fish were known as Lobe-fins, after the FOUR rounded peripheral flippers. The shape of these limbs was unusual as well. Like today's sea turtles and seals; when they spent so much time in the water, they remained aerodynamic flippers; but because they had to crawl up onto the shore, they developed bony fingers inside their lobe-fins (like the fingers of a bat inside its wings); giving the flippers their extraordinary shape, and dexterity. These animals spent more and more of their lives on land, until they only returned to the water to breed and lay eggs, like frogs and salamanders. Eventually the fingered lobes extended into legs for walking, the scales hardened to trap in moisture; and the amphibious lifestyle was no longer necessary: the first reptiles had come int being, a branch of the tree of life that, by 300 Million Years ago, had grown to dominate the planet: as the Dinosaurs, (literally meaning "thunder lizards").
Dinosaurs became birds as follows:
Certain different species of small bipedal carnivorous dinosaurs (appropriately enough called "raptors", meaning "birds of prey") evolved to feed on insects (such as dragonflies the size of present day red-tailed sharp-shinned hawks); in order to catch their prey, they became very light on their two hind feet, running fast and being able to jump high enough to snatch flying bugs out of the air. As the temperature of the climate fluctuated, many species of dinosaurs developed hairs on their skin, (similar to the fluff-like fur that covers bird hatch-ling chicks)
These smaller raptor-like lizards soon adapted this fur to grow longer, allowing more aerodynamic design for speed and maneuverability; They also learned to climb up the trunks of the giant trees (similar to the redwoods and Sequoia of today) and out onto the branches, in order to catch perching insects and other small creatures (including the tree-nesting shrew/rat-like ancestors of all modern mammals)
the hairs on their limbs assisted them in this, and soon grew longer on their fore and hind limbs.
(see: feathered dinosaurs, or four-winged lizard)
There soon became another, more energy-efficient method of getting from tree to tree, using the elongated "feathers" on their four limbs to glide amongst the canopy, rather than running about on the ground. This conserved more of their energy for hunting, and allowed them to even occasionally snatch bugs that flitted between tree branches.
(See: Archaeopteryx ["feathered lizard"])
The species that did not die out developed more and more “feathers” on their arms, and their legs, less necessary for climbing trees, grew shorter, with more pronounced toes and gripping talons instead of feet with claws for running.
And THAT is how the first birds came into being; a slow, gradual process of one beneficial adaptation after another; as those without the necessary “variations in design” (mutations) died out over the generations; and those with the required adaptations survived longer and better in order to produce more, stronger, and healthier offspring, thus passing on their particular variation of adaptation to their prodigy.fossils show that Dragonflies started out very similar to hummingbirds, with only one... more
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The problem as i see it with the major organized monotheistic religions is this: They are, ALL of them, far too obsessively focused on BEING right for ANY of them to actually BE right.
The primary reason, among many numerous others, why i choose science over organized religion any given day is, if anything quite simply, the complete LACK of facts.
Evangelical fundamentalist zealots and ideologues face a significant disadvantage in their perpetual quest to eliminate science; and it is on of their very own invention. Religious extremists most often fail in their attempts to undermine scientific understanding of the physical universe primarily because of their pre-ordained determination of the assumption that such science is a kind of doctrine, much as the dogma to which they blindly subscribe.
Quite simply, They Could Not Be More Wrong if they tried.
These fundamentalists take the point of view that everything in their narrow, yet all-encompassing, doctrine is just that, absolute FACT, not up to interpretation, not metaphorical, not interchangeable, not open for discussion.
They therefore, not unsurprisingly, assume that scientist view their naturalistic "laws" in much a similar way.
Very directly to the contrary, the most extraordinary thing about science itself, and the reason it has persisted throughout 2+ millennia of constant siege, is the simple reality that in Science There ARE No Facts.
The term "scientific law" is a misleading misnomer, there are only theories.
The most repeatedly affirmed scientific theorems are as follows:
The THEORY Universal Gravitation, proposed by Sir Isaac Newton in Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica; 1687
The THEORY of Descent with Modification through Natural Selection, proposed by Charles Darwin in On the Origin of Species; 1859.
The THEORY of Friction was first proposed by Leonardo Da Vinci.
The THEORY of Quantum Mechanics was put forward by Niels Bohr, Michael Farraday, Max Planck, Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein.
Science is not perfect, and it does not answer every question, but it is based on observations which can be predicted tested, and proven.
The scientific process, as first put forth by Rene Descartes [ Cogito Ergo Sum: "I Think ThereFore I Am"] proceeds as follows:
Problem
Hypothesis
Experimentation
Observation
Conclusion
I have yet to find an organized religion which incorporates any, very much less all, of these elements.
In any Religion, the operative word is Faith, a concept demonstrated repeatedly time and again by the very existence of some belief systems
In summary:
FAITH - FACT =FICTION +FEAR + FRANTIC FANATICISM = SUFFERINGThe problem as i see it with the major organized monotheistic religions is this: They... more
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Creationism, also known as the theory of intelligent design, holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection or evolution. Because many schools only teach the latter, the whole concept of creationism can be a confusing concept.
link: http://theologydegreesonline.com/understanding-creationism-the-top-12-creationist-blogs/Creationism, also known as the theory of intelligent design, holds that certain... more
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eva2
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added this
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12 months ago
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An audio mix with the voice of Timothy Leary.
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Today, an increasing number of people in the world believe in the theory of Darwinian evolution. In particular, the vast majority of institutions of higher learning in most of the nations of the world only teach that all life on earth "evolved" from a single cell which somehow popped into existence. So is this theory actually true? Of course not. In fact, this article is going to teach you how to disprove evolution very easily. The truth is that no species has ever been observed changing into another one. Neither are there any transitional fossils which show one species "evolving" into another species. Rather, what we see in the fossil record is the very sudden appearance of fully-formed complex life. This is much more consistent with a creationist paradigm than it is with a Darwinian paradigm, but the scientific community doesn't seem to care.Today, an increasing number of people in the world believe in the theory of Darwinian... more
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Last night's truly awesome Futurama episode offered a ringing endorsement of evolution, but not without a twist or two along the way as its fiercest defender became the accidental creator of an entire robotic world.
This week's episode, "A Clockwork Origin", felt shockingly old school, with the entire crew (minus Zoidberg) given equal time to explore a strange alien planet. This felt more like a fourth season episode than a sixth season one, and either way it was excellent, quite possibly the best episode yet of the Futurama's new run. The pacing was snappier, the jokes were funnier, and the science fiction ideas felt better integrated with the social commentary and the overall story. Even the voice performances seemed to have a little more verve and energy to them than usual.
Perhaps most encouragingly, this didn't feel like an episode that was desperately shooting for classic status, like the (thankfully successful) "Late Philip J. Fry" from a couple weeks back. This was just strong, confident Futurama. Next week's brain-switching episode looks like another potential winner too.
This episode had a cameo by The Flying Spaghetti Monster
http://io9.com/5611882/futurama-turns-intelligent-design-on-its-head-with-robot-evolutionLast night's truly awesome Futurama episode offered a ringing endorsement of... more
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This video, including comments by Richard Dawkins, documents a necropsy (an autopsy on an animal other than a human) carried out in a classroom on a giraffe. In this video, we follow the pathway of the recurrent (inferior) laryngeal nerve, an important nerve that is a branch of the Vagus nerve (tenth cranial nerve). The purpose of doing this exercise is to show that there is no so-called "intelligent designer" because the pathway of this nerve is completely illogical -- unless, of course, you accept that evolution is the reason for this nerve's convoluted pathway through the body.This video, including comments by Richard Dawkins, documents a necropsy (an autopsy on... more
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This is the PBS documentary on Intelligent design, it will give journalist a good understanding of the fundamental assumptions of Intelligent Design, and where it differs from Darwin's Evolution.This is the PBS documentary on Intelligent design, it will give journalist a good... more
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The debate has been raging for sometime about Darwin vs. Intelligent Design. Lumber Jack Bob brings a third party into the mix, Mother Nature. This BOOK NOOK feature is usually played early Sunday morning during our public affairs programming, but this one created quite a stir. How did Lindsay Lohan get into this one?The debate has been raging for sometime about Darwin vs. Intelligent Design. Lumber... more
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The so-called Discovery Institute is a pretentious über-Christian disguise for creationism and an ultra-Conservative social agenda called The Wedge Strategy. So-called Intelligent Design theory is plagiarized from William Paley's long-refuted Blind Watchmaker argument, and is merely creationism in a not-so-cunning disguise.The so-called Discovery Institute is a pretentious über-Christian disguise for... more
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“We Have Decided Not to Die” is an award-winning, very unusual and deeply intriguing eight-minute short film by the Australian filmmaker Daniel Askill. A Triptych. Three Rituals. Three Figures. Three modern-day journeys of transcendence. From the post-modern quirk school of filmmaking, this piece transforms the power of ritual actions into an emotional allegory that creates a world beyond evolution, creationism and intelligent design. From a mental state where logic drops away, the film embarks upon a visually lyrical odyssey along a poetically surreal road to reversible destiny, where death is no longer inevitable.
Includes a number of photographs from the film, as well as the sensually stunning short, “We Have Decided Not to Die.”
Please visit my website to view the photographs, and to watch this strange, intriguing short film:
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2009/12/26/we-have-decided-not-to-die-spiritual-rituals-of-reversible-destiny/“We Have Decided Not to Die” is an award-winning, very unusual and deeply... more
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Kenneth Miller provides a brief explanation as to why "intelligent design" is not admissible in a science classroom.Kenneth Miller provides a brief explanation as to why "intelligent design"... more
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Should teachers turn to creationism to explain the gaps in evolution? Bill O'Reilly thinks so. Unsurprisingly, prominent atheist Richard Dawkins disagrees. "If a particular scientific theory doesn't work, do some better science," Dawkins said. O'Reilly also said that only teaching evolution in public schools is "fascism"Should teachers turn to creationism to explain the gaps in evolution? Bill... more
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Kirk Cameron is smearing Darwin, and promoting creationism. In what can only be characterized as religion gone dumb, Cameron, failed child star turned wacky Christian, is teaming up with his equally wacky buddy Ray Comfort in a campaign to deny scientific truth and promote the most ignorant of religious superstition.
Just in time for the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, Cameron and Comfort are promoting an edition of the book that features an introduction claiming to discredit the theory of evolution, making the case for intelligent design.Kirk Cameron is smearing Darwin, and promoting creationism. In what can only be... more
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