Jeff Higgins |
06-13-2007 11:42 AM |
Quote:
Originally posted by nostatic
May have. But everything requires a leap of faith, right ;)
The crux of the argument is that random events happen, and the environment can select certain outcomes. If you can show that underlying reactions *could* have taken place, that indicates a possible route to complexity.
The question of "life" v. "no life" is somewhat beyond this. How do you determine what is sentient? Is reproduction the gold standard for "life"? Is autonomy required?
This article is talking about the underlying science, not the philosophy or metaphysics. People have generated amino acids from primodial soup. You can also do rna replication that doesn't require enzyme mediation (another key component of a grander "zero-to-hero" theory). Have we gone from soup to "life" in the test tube? No, but we've done quite a few of the component reactions. We haven't spent billions of years flipping coins...
What gets me is that some people will accept the existence of a higher power with arguably no empirical evidence, yet will dismiss science and theories like this because they haven't created "life" from soup in vitro. A double standard perhaps?
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Thanks for the level-headed reply. Just one point of clarification, though. I'm not "dismissing" science and theories like this in the least. While I admitedly do not understand much about it, I do find it exciting and would never be so bold as to dispute their results. I simply dispute their conclusions.
I very much believe it is advantageous and necessary for mankind to stay on this path. Research like theirs will probably one day lead to a solid connection to life. Or then again, maybe not. But they do need to keep looking, and I support that whole-heartedly.
I think where the danger lies is when this kind of information is fed to folks like Kang. I point to his confrontational, attacking reply (in sharp contrast to your reply) to help make my point.
Also understanding very little about what they are doing (but wholey unable to admit it to himself, much less anyone else), he none the less goes on the attack. He makes all kinds of stereotypical assumptions about me and what I wish to see (or not) from this research. He attempts to paint me as some head-in-the-sand "Christian" that rejects such research out-of-hand. As the enemy of such research. As having a narrow, closed mind. Why the personal, and quite erroneous attack?
Because I dared to question their conclusion. Kang worships at the alter of "science" in the same mindless way he accuses the faithful of worshipping at theirs. He is unable to question what he reads, accepting it all on face value, leaning heavily on their (not his) credentials for support.
Yes, they have credentials. Does that mean their conclusions are beyond reproach? I guess it does in the same way the Pope's are beyond reproach for his true believers. I see the same blind faith, and innability to ponder the deeper meaning of this kind of research, in folks like Kang. They unflinchingly accept all of this as unshakeable fact because they are afraid, or unable, to ask any questions.
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