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Search: Posts Made By: Tisthammerw
Forum: Critical Thinking 03-1-2007, 05:37 PM
Replies: 31
Views: 1,878
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: Evolution: Mathematically improbably?

Here's the essential reason why abiogenesis, at first blush, seems unlikely to me. Even the simplest single-celled organism has a horrendous amount of organized complexity. The various interacting...
Forum: Critical Thinking 03-1-2007, 02:16 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

We have to keep in mind there are several varieties of creation theories, some of which make no appeal to religion or the supernatural (case in point, you may want to read What is Creation Science?...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-25-2007, 05:10 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

Unfortunately, even if the statement is true, simple statements like these can sometimes lead to overzealous conclusions. For instance, grand sweeping statements like "creation has no evidence"...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-25-2007, 04:14 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

A theory that describes the creation of the vast, infinite universe proven by fossil records on one measly planet orbiting one of 10^21 stars. How cute.[/QUOTE]

Well, no. The theory I was...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-24-2007, 12:56 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

It isn't mere interpretation, it's that the theory predicts data (as the pattern of gaps in the fossil record). Why think the theory's successful prediction of empirical data is not evidence? After...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-22-2007, 10:53 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

If that is how you define creationism, then perhaps you are right. But what about a more general theory--the direct creation of the various types of life with no macroevolutionary (e.g. new organs...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-22-2007, 10:48 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

But how does that follow from the definition? You have not made clear.

Just because something is not physical or material does not necessarily imply there can be no evidence for it. Case in...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-22-2007, 08:34 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

I'm not sure what you mean by that.

My points are (1) the evidence for evolution relies on indirect methods (as opposed to the roundness of the Earth) and is thus not proven "as close as science...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-22-2007, 07:43 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

No, you can't provide any evidence for the existance of something that is supernatural; i.e. cannot be studied naturally within our system.
[/quote]

Why think this is true? I have yet to see any...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-22-2007, 07:31 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

I should hasten to remind you (or if I haven't said this already, make an overdue declaration) that I don't necessarily disbelieve macroevolution. There is indeed a lot to be said for it as you say,...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-22-2007, 07:19 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

In that case, evolution (and many other scientific theories) are not "proven." As close as science can get is direct observation, e.g. the roundness of the Earth. The orthodox theory of evolution...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-22-2007, 04:07 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

Theories in general cannot be proven in science, and orthodox evolution is no exception. Still, it is possible in principle for evolution to be supported with evidence (the same also goes for the...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-22-2007, 04:00 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

The second law of thermodynamics has been used to attack evolution, however the argument (as used by leading creationists) have often been misconstrued by anticreationists and sometimes other...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-19-2007, 11:09 PM
Replies: 42
Views: 2,431
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: Are our lives completely predetermined?

The claim that foreknowledge implies predestination might seem compelling, but it doesn't quite logically follow. Why? Because either event A will happen or it won't, and merely knowing what will...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 02:22 PM
Replies: 38
Views: 2,072
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: How old is old enough?

Yes, that part I understand, but the end result is still odd: we live in a world where an 18-year-old can own a car but not rent one, even though owning a car requires more responsibility.
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 01:49 PM
Replies: 42
Views: 2,431
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: Are our lives completely predetermined?

Solipsism has its advantages: you only accept beliefs that can be "proven." But you also toss out a lot of other things that seem rational to believe: the existence of atoms, that the Holocaust...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 01:37 PM
Replies: 38
Views: 2,072
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: How old is old enough?

That's true, but see my post before yours (post #28 (http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/vbz/showpost.php?p=1203347&postcount=28)). It all seems to generate a bit of an oddity: you cannot in...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 01:36 PM
Replies: 38
Views: 2,072
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: How old is old enough?

That's true, but see my post before yours (post #28 (http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/vbz/showpost.php?p=1203347&postcount=28)). It all seems to generate a bit of an oddity: you cannot in...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 01:33 PM
Replies: 42
Views: 2,431
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: Are our lives completely predetermined?

What is the proof that atoms exist? Data? Then how do we know our sensory perceptions are not illusions? Eventually we have to rely on our perceptions somewhere. My direct perceptions tell me...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 01:21 PM
Replies: 38
Views: 2,072
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: How old is old enough?

You know why? It's because there are a LOT of situations in driving that require reactions on instinct. You don't have the instincts to drive correctly in tough situations without years of...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 12:46 PM
Replies: 42
Views: 2,431
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: Are our lives completely predetermined?

I might be able to help here. A common interpretation of quantum mechanics is what I'll call metaphysical randomness: that identical physical conditions can yield different outcomes. The human soul...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 12:39 PM
Replies: 38
Views: 2,072
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: How old is old enough?

Here's the part I find kind of odd. People can legally drive all by themselves at 16, but not rent a car until they're 21? And they cannot rent a car by themselves until they are 25? When you're...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 12:29 PM
Replies: 42
Views: 2,431
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: Are our lives completely predetermined?

Because, you cannot prove that free will exists, which means that you cannot conclude that our universe is not completely physical.

We can prove that everything in the universe is created from...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 12:14 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

May I ask where exactly did you cite the passages that pertain to the pattern of the gaps in the fossil record? Perhaps you could provide me with a post number?
[/quote]



Nice post, but it...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 01:23 AM
Replies: 42
Views: 2,431
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: Are our lives completely predetermined?

From the web page,



But this raises problems. If my beliefs are merely the result of moving particles in my brain, then I have no reason to think my beliefs are true--including the belief that...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 01:06 AM
Replies: 38
Views: 2,072
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: How old is old enough?

That's probably the best response I've seen for the "you can get tried for murder but not responsible enough for sexual relations" objection. Hence, laws like statutory rape are still a good thing...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 12:44 AM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

Perhaps the most notorious one is between the Pre-Cambrian and the Cambrian. I can think of no better apotheosis for gap pattern 2 (patterns 1 and 2 were described in post #68...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-17-2007, 12:40 AM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

May I ask where exactly did you cite the passages that pertain to the pattern of the gaps in the fossil record? Perhaps you could provide me with a post number?




I think the Cambrian...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-15-2007, 05:49 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

Punctuated equilibrium does explain the gaps between species, but not the larger gaps. It is the larger gaps that need explaining.




You might want to look up the Cambrian Explosion before...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-15-2007, 05:14 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

Be aware, a creationist could accuse the same thing of the evolutionist.

Part of the problem with "evidence" here is that the empirical data do not announce what they are evidence for. They have...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-15-2007, 02:25 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

You have to keep in mind that creation would predict the kinds of gaps we see in the fossil record, as I explained earlier. Even if evolution is correct, I don't think the evidence is all one-sided...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-8-2007, 05:47 PM
Replies: 402
Views: 19,182
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: The Riddle Thread

This probably isn't what you're thinking of, but I know of one thing that fits the description. In geometry, a line matches what you described (as opposed to a segment or a ray).
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-8-2007, 11:00 AM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

Apparently not (more later).



It’s not gaps per se, but the type of gaps we observe.



True, but the problem is that it would not lead to the pattern of the gaps we see. As Michael Denton...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-7-2007, 04:39 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

Hm, perhaps you did pay close enough attention to what I just said. I'll quote it for you.
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-7-2007, 01:27 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

Here's where we get into the problems of interpretation as I suggested earlier. "Evolution can be seen in the fossil record." How? At best it can only be observed that evolution did happen, not...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-7-2007, 10:05 AM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

It really is that straight forward.

That 'fundamentally' different organism comes from a collection of changes from microevolution.
[/quote]

But as I said in the text you quoted,...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-6-2007, 03:37 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

It's actually not as straightforward as that. Sure we can see moths mutate into different colors, a mutation producing an extra limb, or shuffle around fly parts. But even with limitless...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-5-2007, 07:37 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

Well, it depends on the form of intelligent design. Some ID adherents (like probably Behe) probably would combine the two. Others, like Gary E. Parker, might fall into the other extreme.



...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-5-2007, 07:30 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

Is creationism science? Or put it more precisely, is creationism a genuinely scientific theory? It might depend on how you define creationism. Some forms of creationism make no reference to...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-5-2007, 03:14 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

You have to understand that some people are intellectually convinced that evolution (in its current form) is not a scientifically satisfactory theory. Take for instance the biochemist Michael Behe. ...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-5-2007, 03:05 PM
Replies: 386
Views: 14,622
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: A big problem for Evolution?

If that is how you define evolution, then even creationists accept evolution. The debatable part is if macroevolution (evolution of new basic types) can happen. Everyone accepts microevolution...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-3-2007, 02:10 PM
Replies: 402
Views: 19,182
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: The Riddle Thread

Kathy Lee Gifford? :D

Like Pichu_XP though, my guess would be some kind of drupe (a fleshy fruit with a hard inner layer covering the seed). A cherry is the first thing that comes to mind.
Forum: Chit Chat 02-3-2007, 02:04 PM
Replies: 9
Views: 750
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: AP Statistics

I haven't taken it, but I have taken Probability and Statistics in college--and that was hard. This is just an educated guess, but if you're looking for an easy course I recommend not taking AP...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-3-2007, 01:23 PM
Replies: 402
Views: 19,182
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: The Riddle Thread

No, you got it right. The trick is to remember the 97% caffeine-free cola has 3% caffeine (relative to regular cola). To find out how many cans will equal 100%, just take 100 divided by 3, which...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-2-2007, 06:29 PM
Replies: 402
Views: 19,182
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: The Riddle Thread

Here's a problem (it's easy for me to solve, but maybe that's because I minored in math). I borrowed this one from MindTrap.

If you were given a can of cola that was 97% caffeine-free (relative...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-2-2007, 06:24 PM
Replies: 402
Views: 19,182
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: The Riddle Thread

There is no "other" dollar. The way you added it up makes no sense (except to mess with other people's heads).

They did not "basically spent 9 dollars each." They basically spent $8 1/3 each...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-2-2007, 06:09 PM
Replies: 40
Views: 2,960
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: "god" & "Aliens" one and the same?

There most certainly is a traversal in an infinite past. In an infinite past, the universe must traverse an infinite number of years to reach the present. Do you deny this? If so, why?



...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-2-2007, 02:03 PM
Replies: 40
Views: 2,960
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: "god" & "Aliens" one and the same?

No, I was instantiating an example of an impossible traversal. Traversing an infinite region is not possible.




Not at all. Remember Joe Walker is traversing at a finite rate. If he...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-1-2007, 03:39 PM
Replies: 40
Views: 2,960
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: "god" & "Aliens" one and the same?

I stopped reading right there. I mean, you stated, you can provide evidence yet begin with a statement that you cannot.
[/quote]

Uh, no I didn't. I said one cannot provide a strict proof but...
Forum: Critical Thinking 02-1-2007, 02:27 PM
Replies: 40
Views: 2,960
Posted By Tisthammerw
Re: "god" & "Aliens" one and the same?

Rofl. I'd like to see this "evidence"[/QUOTE]

That could take up an entire thread in itself, but since you asked...

Although I do not believe there is a strict proof of God's existence, I think...
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