Book: Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe

Aytumious · #1 12-28-2005, 03:17 AM

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No matter how rare the conditions allowing complex life prove to be, this alone can never be an argument in favor of intelligent design. Those conditions have to exist for anyone to actually notice. That we notice them here on Earth tells us nothing beyond the fact that those conditions are possible.

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This is the point that IDers either fail to acknowledge or cannot comprehend.

#2 12-28-2005, 04:01 AM

Correct.
The last point is the part I am failing ro acknowledge or cannot comprehend.

"That we notice them here on Earth tells us nothing beyond the fact that those conditions are possible."

I think the conditions present on Earth can tell us a lot more than just that they're possible. This seems like a big cop out to me.

by looking at the finished product we can gather certain things about it. This is the same for all products that have been intelligently designed. You wouldn't accept that a car just fell together, you know that it was designed. Well, the the odds against a car forming are far higher than intelligent life forming from dumb matter. Yet, you insist that these coincidences are just a fluke. This is a point that you can't seem to comprehend or fail to acknowledge.

#3 12-28-2005, 04:13 AM

May I recommend you read The Blind Watchmaker? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

#4 12-28-2005, 04:18 AM

I'll take a look.

#5 12-28-2005, 04:35 AM

may I recomend the case for a creator by Lee Strobel. I know at least one person on this forum doesn't think much of the author but that's not where the interesting content is. It gives good coverage of the main arguments for Intelligent Design through a series of interviews with the leaders in the field.

hmkpoker · #6 12-28-2005, 11:20 AM

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You wouldn't accept that a car just fell together, you know that it was designed.

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No, but I can pretty easily accept that a tree did. Trees seem to come about in the absence of a creator.

Jeff V · #7 12-28-2005, 11:16 AM

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No matter how rare the conditions allowing complex life prove to be, this alone can never be an argument in favor of intelligent design. Those conditions have to exist for anyone to actually notice. That we notice them here on Earth tells us nothing beyond the fact that those conditions are possible.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the point that IDers either fail to acknowledge or cannot comprehend.

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You can use the facts that they exist, and the rarity to assign a probability.