Volconvo Debate Forums - View Single Post

damnrad · Jan 29, 2004, 08:30 pm

<blockquote>Quote:<hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (jpapadpapa,)
There comes a point when, based on probability calculations, a mathmetician will consider the probability of an occurance to be zero. The probability of evolution is zero. I will get into that more later. <hr size="1" /></blockquote>

Deal out a pack of well-shuffled playing cards. What is the probability of the specific sequence of cards dealt. It is very small, (1 in 52 factorial). Is it impossible? Toss a coin one million times (start early -- it will take a while) and record the sequence of heads and tails (have some assistants to help). What is the probability of the specific sequence you end up with (some considerable time later). That probability is very low -- 1 in 2 to the 1,000,000th. Is it impossible? What is impossible in biological evolution? Oh, you'll get into it later. Well Behe and Dembski have tried to show that numerous times, but they'll have to get into it later, too, because their demonstrations to date have been debunked. And, no, a mathematician will not consider the probability of an occurrance such as you speak of to be zero, rather to approach zero. And any mathematician will tell you that approaching aint being there.

<blockquote>Quote:<hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (jpapadpapa,)
Shunyadragon and LogicaLunatic, you do bring up some good points on the idea of observation. Actually, my husband mentioned to me the other day that technically, ideas such as gravity have never been proven scientifically, but they are held to be true because of the other evidence. I simply forgot. I don't believe there is enough evidence for evolution, however.<hr size="1" /></blockquote>

So, you are willing to believe in gravity but not in evolution. Well, good for you -- you've gotten beyond the Seventeenth Century churchmen who couldn't believe in gravity. But you belief or disbelief is only that -- it has nothing to do with science. Hey, God may be Coyote the Trickster, and maybe Coyote did create a young earth but stuck in lots of fossils to trick some folks into believing in evolution. I don't believe that; but science can't disprove it -- well, at least not if Coyote is a competent trickster. So much for religious beliefs as a guide to science.

Jan 29, 2004, 08:30 pm	#125 (permalink) (top)
damnrad Igneous Magma Posts: 264	</span><blockquote><span class="smallfont">Quote:</span><hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (jpapadpapa,) There comes a point when, based on probability calculations, a mathmetician will consider the probability of an occurance to be zero. The probability of evolution is zero. I will get into that more later. <hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'> Deal out a pack of well-shuffled playing cards. What is the probability of the specific sequence of cards dealt. It is very small, (1 in 52 factorial). Is it impossible? Toss a coin one million times (start early -- it will take a while) and record the sequence of heads and tails (have some assistants to help). What is the probability of the specific sequence you end up with (some considerable time later). That probability is very low -- 1 in 2 to the 1,000,000th. Is it impossible? What is impossible in biological evolution? Oh, you'll get into it later. Well Behe and Dembski have tried to show that numerous times, but they'll have to get into it later, too, because their demonstrations to date have been debunked. And, no, a mathematician will not consider the probability of an occurrance such as you speak of to be zero, rather to approach zero. And any mathematician will tell you that approaching aint being there. </span><blockquote><span class="smallfont">Quote:</span><hr size="1" />Originally Posted by (jpapadpapa,) Shunyadragon and LogicaLunatic, you do bring up some good points on the idea of observation. Actually, my husband mentioned to me the other day that technically, ideas such as gravity have never been proven scientifically, but they are held to be true because of the other evidence. I simply forgot. I don't believe there is enough evidence for evolution, however.<hr size="1" /></blockquote><span class='postcolor'> So, you are willing to believe in gravity but not in evolution. Well, good for you -- you've gotten beyond the Seventeenth Century churchmen who couldn't believe in gravity. But you belief or disbelief is only that -- it has nothing to do with science. Hey, God may be Coyote the Trickster, and maybe Coyote did create a young earth but stuck in lots of fossils to trick some folks into believing in evolution. I don't believe that; but science can't disprove it -- well, at least not if Coyote is a competent trickster. So much for religious beliefs as a guide to science.