Comments Posted By Rick Moran
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That's the most obscure comment anyone has ever left on this site?
What. The. Heck. Do. You. Mean?
Comment Posted By Rick Moran On 5.08.2005 @ 20:24
THE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, VERY, VERY, LAST THING I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ID AND EVOLUTION
First, it's important to differentiate between what Darwin postulated in his book "Origin of the Species" and modern evolutionary theory.
Much of Darwin's book has been proven to be false or incomplete. But building on Darwin's initial theories, modern biology has come up with a testable, workable hypothesis regarding evolution. Certain predictions made in the lab bear out in the field. The same cannot be said of ID.
Your question regarding consciousness is one that has fascinated me for a long time. I tried to write an article during the Schiavo debate on what consciusness was and just couldn't find a "hook" for the post. In short, there was nothing I could really get my mind around that made much sense.
A physicist believes that consciousness is actually our mind being in three different dimensions - the past, the present, and the near future - all at the same time! There is some serious attention being given this theory so perhaps a deeper understanding of quantum mechanics and the many worlds theory will help us understand better.
As for the physical properties of consciousness, that too has seen some remarkable work in the last few years. It appears that the brains of mammals - the most evolved creatures on the evolutionary ladder - are very similar in the way they work. And the electro-chemical reactions present in mammalian brains probably impart a small measure of what we humans would recognize as "consciousness" to all mammals.
Where did it come from? Remember the enormous elapsed time involved - nearly 60 million years. Brains as an organ went from being purely regulatory in reptiles (kept the heart beating, lungs breathing, fight or flight - in other words "instinctive") to a rudimentary thinking machine but it took perhaps 200 million years.
Given how many mutations occur in 200 million years, the chances are very good that the right combination of neuro-chemicals along with the evolution of soft brain tissues like ganglia and receptors that could have been totally doormant or used for something else until by pure chance, they integrated with the neuro-chemicals.
It's not as far fetched as it sounds - not when you're talking about hundreds of millions of years for it to happen.
As for self-awareness - that trait has been seen in hominids for only about the last 150,000. The way we know this is modern homo sapiens had self decorative art in the form of small items of jewelry and the like. Such decorations presupposes that the wearer has a self image.
The real mystery is how we got from there to here. About 50,000 years ago a huge expansion in human knowledge occurred. Polynesian ancestors journeyed by boat to Australia and New Guienia. Cave walls in France came alive with realistic paintings of the hunt. Our tools becamse very sophisticated and decorative.
What this suggests to some evolutionary biologists is that our soft pallette developed that allowed a much greater range in vocalizations. It seems that language itself may have driven homo sapiens to where we are today.
Good questions - not much in the way of good answers. Whether we'll find the answers through digging in the earth or whether they'll come by unlocking the myseries of DNA I don't know. But I feel confidant we will discover the answers one day.
Comment Posted By Rick Moran On 3.08.2005 @ 11:43
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: SHUT YOUR YAP!
Heh.
Comment Posted By Rick Moran On 4.08.2005 @ 04:40
You mean, like the Greek Gods? Always quarrelling among themselves. Each with his favorite mortal.
I like it.
We used to teach something very similar. We called the course of study "Western Civilization 101."
That just wouldn't do, though. Everyone knows that our civilization is no better than, say Islamic civilization.
Doesn't everybody strap bomb vests on children and send them off to kill innocent civilians?
Comment Posted By Rick Moran On 4.08.2005 @ 04:09
Are you seriously retarded?
READ THE DAMN POST SHITHEAD! I'M OPPOSED TO TEACHING ID IN SCHOOLS NITWIT!
What part of that don't you understand.
Get a brain...then get a life.
Comment Posted By Rick Moran On 3.08.2005 @ 13:02
I'm trying to decide whether you're an idiot or just can't read.
No...no...I was right the first time.
ID is NOT a fancy term for creationism so please refrain from bragging about your ignorance. Do it on your own blog.
As for "asking for it" I'm not quite sure what you mean. But then, given the incoherence of the rest of your comment, I'm not surprised.
Comment Posted By Rick Moran On 3.08.2005 @ 12:36
Reputation? What reputation?
As for the link...I googled up Hindu mythology and just linked to it. The whole list was something of a joke that too many people have taken way too seriously.
My suggestion is relax. Since no slight was intended, only a politically correct professional victim would take offense.
Good thing I haven't heard from any Ojibwas...
Comment Posted By Rick Moran On 3.08.2005 @ 12:16
So many idiotarians...so little time.
Physicists would be shocked to learn Rutherford's model is wrong in the sense that an atom doesn't have electrons and protons. And Sir Isaac's apple is not suddenly falling up after leaving the tree.
The Grand Unified Theory is coming closer to reality and will marry Einstein and Bohrs very nicely thank you. The point being, that people built upon these theories, they didn't prove them "wrong."
Comment Posted By Rick Moran On 2.08.2005 @ 15:56
Jazz:
The earth is approximately 4.8 billion years old. The universe is at least 12 and probably closer to 15 billion years old. Given what we know about the evolution of life, there probably have been billions of worlds where life has arisen, thrived, and for whatever reason became extinct long before our insignificant little ball of dust and gasses came into being.
Where did the amino acids and complex proteins come into being? Those compounds had perhaps 300 million years to mill around together combining, falling apart, and recombining.
300 million years.
If scientists had that long to experiment in a lab, I have no doubt they'd hit upon the right combination in a hundred million years or so.
Comment Posted By Rick Moran On 2.08.2005 @ 15:50
I. Anyone who says that ID is "science" is a loon.
2. Anyone who says "evolution is only a theory" doesn't know anything about science. The "Theory" of Relativity is a theory...except one should perhaps ask the residents of Hiroshima about the efficacy of that particular set of concepts.
3. Anyone who believes that the Big Bang is worthless as an explantion as to how the universe came into existence not only doesn't know anything about cosmology, but also denies the existence of the nose on the end of your face.
4. Those who agitate for the teaching of ID "along side" evolution are hoping for a day 20 years from now when their children or grandchildren are sweeping the floors of Bio-tech factories owned by the Japanese or Germans instead of owning the damn things as they should.
When the rest of the world embraces ID with the same fervor that the zealots in this country do, come back and talk to me. Until then...shut your yaps.
PS: Neil - you're that rare combination of idiotarian and moonbat. Congrats!
Comment Posted By Rick Moran On 2.08.2005 @ 15:03
