If we are willing to accept the Bible & the Quran as containing truth, then we know the answer to "where did we come from?" According to the ancient scriptures, we were created by God. So the next question is…why? After all, He’s God, and as such, He certainly doesn't need us for anything -- so why did He create us? Who is God really? What does He see in us, really? Check out some of the following for some answers…
All About Worldview: What issues shape your worldview and outlook on life? How do you view these issues and topics of interest in the world today?
All About GOD: The Christian community for seekers, skeptics, and believers.
Guardian Angels: Do we have God’s messengers following us around and protecting us from danger? Find out here.
Attributes of God: Click here to find out how the talent of the world’s most revered people matches up with the qualities found in God.
Where Is God?: The ultimate question of life and eternity. How can we know God exists? How can we relate to Him?
Who Is God?: Why does God refer to Himself in parental terms? Is He also mother nature? What does the Bible say?
Garden Of Eden: What are the ancient roots of this biblical story? Bible story or Bble truth?
Original Sin: A genetic defect we all share. The reason we are separated from God. The justification for redemption through Jesus Christ.
Names Of God: The Hebrew names for God express His never-changing character, nature and attributes.
Absolute Truth: Is morality relative to our time and culture or is it based on a universal standard for all of us?
Situational Ethics: Joseph Fletcher and his model of ethics. All decisions should be based on love. The model contradicts God's Law.
Why Are We Here?: What does God want for our lives? What's the end result of everything?
God's Love: Discover the premier and ultimate example of loving-kindness by studying God’s sacrifice of His Son. Jesus Christ.
God Is Love: God's meaning and expression of this term is much different than our 21st century understanding.
Holy Spirit: More than an ethereal life force, He is one of the three persons of God. A difficult concept simply explained.
Problem Of Evil: Why would God allow pain and suffering in a "very good" world? Check out the reasons here.
Love Of God: What is true, perfect and holy love? How can we describe the perfect love of God?
Meaning Of Life: Discover what it's all about. Examine the most intriguing answers to life's most difficult questions.
God: A look at how God reveals Himself through the Bible. His Word defines His nature.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Philosophical Worldviews
Using standard cultural labels, it seems we’re all becoming materialist, naturalist, relativist, humanist, hedonists that seem to think we have it pretty well together. Metaphysical thought is for philosophers and theologians. “Religion” is OK for those who need a crutch to limp through a difficult life. Well, philosophical truth is actually right below the surface… Check it out…
My Worldview: I didn't need any kind of supernatural notion of "absolute truth" or morality to adhere to common sense principles.
Metaphysics: Huge implications! A super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature.
Moral Relativism: The terms and definitions underlying this world-wide predisposition to pluralism.
Naturalism: Matter acting on matter for a sufficient period of time can create anything. Can it?
All About Philosophy: Have you experienced a rational investigation of truth? Are you on a quest for truth? Do you know the meaning of life?
Why Am I Here?: Discover the answer to this basic question or life. Learn the difference between an atheistic worldview and a theistic worldview.
Adam And Eve: The biblical record speaks for itself. What does today's world believe about our origins?
Polytheism: Many natural functions, many gods to explain them. A look at the ancient belief systems and their impact today.
Materialism: What are the terms and definitions underlying this popular world-view?
Does God Exist: What are the philosophical viewpoints of this ultimate question? Discover the facts and decide for yourself.
Moral Ethics: How do we make moral decisions? Is it a question of relativity? Or is it a question of absolute truth?
Roman Gods: The deities of ancient Rome. A summary of their names and functions.
Critical Thinking 101: We aren’t thinking anymore! We aren’t even asking the basic life questions anymore. We’re passive creatures, sponging-up pop media.
God: Does He exist? Is He necessary or merely convenient? He is revealed in the concept and design inherent in all things!
Egyptian Gods: A historical snapshot of ancient Egypt and its religious beliefs.
Is God Real?: How close can we get to actually proving the existence of God?
Cultural Relativism: Can notions of ethics and morality truly be viewed through different lenses?
Agnostic: The term is used everywhere today. What's it really mean?
Secular Humanism: Excluding God from schools and society. The Humanist Manifesto. Theory of Evolution. Atheist philosophy and doctrine. The religion of humanism.
Gods And Goddesses: The deities that formed the mythological backbone of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.
Morality: Where did our system of moral conduct come from? Did it evolve? Was it learned? Or was it perfectly designed?
Cultural Materialism: A view of the world attached to communism. Read more here.
Is There A God?: What's the latest in scientific and philosophical arguments for God's existence?
Greek Gods: An examination of the mythological roots of ancient Greece.
Cosmological Argument: Research the philosophical argument brought forward by Kalam/Muslim philosophers in the middle ages. Discover the three premises.
Dualism: Is the mind limited to the physical brain? Consider the philosophy of dualism and see how it stacks up to the facts.
Deism: How does Deism line up with the Bible’s teaching? Study passages and the evidence here.
Philosophy Of Life: My whole life has been guided by the principle of Plato's Socrates: Follow the evidence, wherever it leads (Antony Flew).
Humanism: The history of Humanism and it's manifesto. What are the implications of a humanistic outlook? Does God exist? Explore now.
Communism: Marx, Engels and The Communist Manifesto. The economic and political philosophy. The atheistic and amoral reality. A costly experiment for society.
Realism And Naturalism: My biggest barrier to any kind of religious faith was 20th century science and technology - natural processes and wonderful chance.
Atheism: Is this a philosophical belief or an actual religion?
All About History: The world has been shaped through the historical events of the past. How have these events influenced our future?
My Worldview: I didn't need any kind of supernatural notion of "absolute truth" or morality to adhere to common sense principles.
Metaphysics: Huge implications! A super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature.
Moral Relativism: The terms and definitions underlying this world-wide predisposition to pluralism.
Naturalism: Matter acting on matter for a sufficient period of time can create anything. Can it?
All About Philosophy: Have you experienced a rational investigation of truth? Are you on a quest for truth? Do you know the meaning of life?
Why Am I Here?: Discover the answer to this basic question or life. Learn the difference between an atheistic worldview and a theistic worldview.
Adam And Eve: The biblical record speaks for itself. What does today's world believe about our origins?
Polytheism: Many natural functions, many gods to explain them. A look at the ancient belief systems and their impact today.
Materialism: What are the terms and definitions underlying this popular world-view?
Does God Exist: What are the philosophical viewpoints of this ultimate question? Discover the facts and decide for yourself.
Moral Ethics: How do we make moral decisions? Is it a question of relativity? Or is it a question of absolute truth?
Roman Gods: The deities of ancient Rome. A summary of their names and functions.
Critical Thinking 101: We aren’t thinking anymore! We aren’t even asking the basic life questions anymore. We’re passive creatures, sponging-up pop media.
God: Does He exist? Is He necessary or merely convenient? He is revealed in the concept and design inherent in all things!
Egyptian Gods: A historical snapshot of ancient Egypt and its religious beliefs.
Is God Real?: How close can we get to actually proving the existence of God?
Cultural Relativism: Can notions of ethics and morality truly be viewed through different lenses?
Agnostic: The term is used everywhere today. What's it really mean?
Secular Humanism: Excluding God from schools and society. The Humanist Manifesto. Theory of Evolution. Atheist philosophy and doctrine. The religion of humanism.
Gods And Goddesses: The deities that formed the mythological backbone of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.
Morality: Where did our system of moral conduct come from? Did it evolve? Was it learned? Or was it perfectly designed?
Cultural Materialism: A view of the world attached to communism. Read more here.
Is There A God?: What's the latest in scientific and philosophical arguments for God's existence?
Greek Gods: An examination of the mythological roots of ancient Greece.
Cosmological Argument: Research the philosophical argument brought forward by Kalam/Muslim philosophers in the middle ages. Discover the three premises.
Dualism: Is the mind limited to the physical brain? Consider the philosophy of dualism and see how it stacks up to the facts.
Deism: How does Deism line up with the Bible’s teaching? Study passages and the evidence here.
Philosophy Of Life: My whole life has been guided by the principle of Plato's Socrates: Follow the evidence, wherever it leads (Antony Flew).
Humanism: The history of Humanism and it's manifesto. What are the implications of a humanistic outlook? Does God exist? Explore now.
Communism: Marx, Engels and The Communist Manifesto. The economic and political philosophy. The atheistic and amoral reality. A costly experiment for society.
Realism And Naturalism: My biggest barrier to any kind of religious faith was 20th century science and technology - natural processes and wonderful chance.
Atheism: Is this a philosophical belief or an actual religion?
All About History: The world has been shaped through the historical events of the past. How have these events influenced our future?
Fossil Record - Are there "Transitional" Forms?
Let's start by looking at a few more of Darwin's very honest statements:
Firstly, why, if species have descended from other species by insensibly fine gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms? Why is not all nature in confusion instead of the species being, as we see them, well defined? 1 But, as by this theory, innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them embedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth? 2 Lastly, looking not to any one time, but to all time, if my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, linking closely together all the species of the same group, must assuredly have existed. 3 Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory. 4Since Darwin put forth his original theory, scientists have sought fossil evidence indicating past organic transitions. Nearly 150 years later, there has been no evidence of evolutionary transition found thus far in the fossil record. In Darwin's own words, if his theory of "macro-evolution" were true, we would see a vast number of fossils at intermediate stages of biological development. In fact, based on standard mathematical models, we would see far more transitional forms in the fossil record than complete specimens. However, we see none -- not one true transitional specimen has ever been found. Our museums now contain hundreds of millions of fossil specimens (40 million alone are contained in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum). If Darwin's theory were true, we should see at least tens of millions of unquestionable transitional forms. We see none. Even the late Stephen Jay Gould, Professor of Geology and Paleontology at Harvard University and the leading spokesman for evolutionary theory prior to his recent death, confessed "the extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record persists as the trade secret of paleontology." 5 He continues:
The history of most fossil species includes two features inconsistent with gradualism: 1. Statis. Most species exhibit no directional change during their tenure on earth. They appear in the fossil record looking much the same as when they disappear… 2. Sudden Appearance. In any local area, a species does not arise gradually by the steady transformation of its ancestors; it appears all at once and 'fully formed'. 6 The evolutionary trees that adorn our textbooks have data only at the tips and nodes of their branches; the rest is inference, however reasonable, not the evidence of fossils. 7Wait. I need to tighten this down! Are there some transitional fossils, or none? If Gould uses phrases like "extreme rarity" and "most species exhibit no directional change" when referring to the fossil record, that must mean that there are at least some transitional specimens. Right?
Firstly, why, if species have descended from other species by insensibly fine gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms? Why is not all nature in confusion instead of the species being, as we see them, well defined? 1 But, as by this theory, innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them embedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth? 2 Lastly, looking not to any one time, but to all time, if my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, linking closely together all the species of the same group, must assuredly have existed. 3 Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory. 4Since Darwin put forth his original theory, scientists have sought fossil evidence indicating past organic transitions. Nearly 150 years later, there has been no evidence of evolutionary transition found thus far in the fossil record. In Darwin's own words, if his theory of "macro-evolution" were true, we would see a vast number of fossils at intermediate stages of biological development. In fact, based on standard mathematical models, we would see far more transitional forms in the fossil record than complete specimens. However, we see none -- not one true transitional specimen has ever been found. Our museums now contain hundreds of millions of fossil specimens (40 million alone are contained in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum). If Darwin's theory were true, we should see at least tens of millions of unquestionable transitional forms. We see none. Even the late Stephen Jay Gould, Professor of Geology and Paleontology at Harvard University and the leading spokesman for evolutionary theory prior to his recent death, confessed "the extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record persists as the trade secret of paleontology." 5 He continues:
The history of most fossil species includes two features inconsistent with gradualism: 1. Statis. Most species exhibit no directional change during their tenure on earth. They appear in the fossil record looking much the same as when they disappear… 2. Sudden Appearance. In any local area, a species does not arise gradually by the steady transformation of its ancestors; it appears all at once and 'fully formed'. 6 The evolutionary trees that adorn our textbooks have data only at the tips and nodes of their branches; the rest is inference, however reasonable, not the evidence of fossils. 7Wait. I need to tighten this down! Are there some transitional fossils, or none? If Gould uses phrases like "extreme rarity" and "most species exhibit no directional change" when referring to the fossil record, that must mean that there are at least some transitional specimens. Right?
Microscopic Organisms - The Miracle of "Simplicity"
If the first, simple, microscopic organisms created in prebiotic rock soup are at the foundation of today's evolutionary thinking, then what is a "simple" microscopic organism? Is there such a thing? Wouldn't any organism -- even the first one -- have to synthesize fuel, generate energy, reproduce its kind, etc.? Therefore, what's considered "simple"? I guess a fertilized human egg at the moment of conception looks like a simple, single-celled blob no bigger than a pinhead. However, we now know that amorphous blob contains information equivalent to 6 billion "chemical letters" -- enough complex code to fill 1,000 books, 500 pages thick with print so small that it would take a microscope to read it.1 Through the marvel of DNA, every single human trait is established at the moment of conception. Within hours, that single cell starts reproducing and grows a cilia propulsion system to move the fertilized egg (now called a "zygote") towards the uterus. Within six days, the original cell (now called an "embryo") has reproduced its library of information over 100 times. Ultimately, that original blob of gelatin will divide into the 30 trillion cells that make up the human body. At that point, if all the DNA chemical "letters" were printed in books, it's estimated those books would fill the Grand Canyon -- fifty times! 2 OK, I don't see anything "simple" there… But that's a human egg, not a simple, self-existing, biological entity. Let's get back on track and look at a simple organism that exists in nature… How about a "simple" bacterium? No, let's just look at one part of a "simple" bacterium -- its motility mechanism… The so-called "bacterial flagellum" is what propels a bacterium through its microscopic world. The bacterial flagellum consists of about 40 different protein parts, including a stator, rotor, drive shaft, U-joint, and propeller. Through 21st century magnification technology, we now understand that a simple bacterium has a microscopic outboard motor! The individual parts come into focus when magnified 50,000 times using electron micrographs. These microscopic motors can run at 100,000 rpm. Nevertheless, they can stop on a microscopic dime. In fact, it takes only a quarter turn for them to stop, shift gears and start spinning 100,000 rpm in the other direction! The flagellar motor is water-cooled and hardwired into a sensory mechanism that allows the bacterium to get feedback from its environment! 3 This blows my mind! How does it compare with an outboard motor I'm familiar with? Was the mechanical motor designed and then manufactured according to engineered specifications? Of course! Now, make that same outboard motor one thousand times more efficient and miniaturize it by a factor containing many zeros. The complexity is staggering! Even with 21st century technology, we'll never be able to create a micro-machine like this.
Cell Structure
The Complexity of the "Simple" CellEach person begins as a single cell -- a cell structure formed by the joining of the mother's egg and the father's sperm. That single cell contains the digital code to make thousands of other kinds of cells, from fat cells to bone cells -- from brain cells to lung cells. There are muscle cells, skin cells, vein cells, capillary cells and blood cells… Ultimately, from that one original cell, the human body will have something like 30 trillion cells conducting an orchestra of different functions. In the first half of this century, scientists still assumed that the cell was a fairly simple blob of protoplasm. Without electron microscopes and other technology, the cell was treated as a "black box" that mysteriously performed its various functions -- an unobservable collection of "gelatin" molecules whose inner workings were unknown. Through the marvels of 21st century technology, scientists now understand the following:
Although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small, weighing less than 10-12 grams, each is in effect a veritable micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery, made up altogether of one hundred thousand million atoms, far more complicated than any machinery built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world.1Each microscopic cell is as functionally complex as a small city. When magnified 50,000 times through electron micrographs, we see that a cell is made up of multiple complex structures, each with a different role in the cell's operation. Using the city comparison, here's a simple chart that reveals the awesome intricacy and design of a typical cell:
Although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small, weighing less than 10-12 grams, each is in effect a veritable micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery, made up altogether of one hundred thousand million atoms, far more complicated than any machinery built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world.1Each microscopic cell is as functionally complex as a small city. When magnified 50,000 times through electron micrographs, we see that a cell is made up of multiple complex structures, each with a different role in the cell's operation. Using the city comparison, here's a simple chart that reveals the awesome intricacy and design of a typical cell:
As we delve further into the cellular world, technology is revealing black boxes within previous black boxes. As science advances, more of these black boxes are being opened, exposing an "unanticipated Lilliputian world" of enormous complexity that has pushed the theory of evolution to a breaking point. 2 Wow! That's at the cellular level. If the cell is that complex, what about the simplest organisms made up of these cellular structures? Is there really such a thing as "simple," now that we can view organisms using the latest in microbiological and biochemical technology?
DNA Molecule - the Impossibility of Information
The DNA molecule is one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time. First described by James Watson and Francis Crick in 19531, DNA is the famous storehouse of genetics that establishes each organism's physical characteristics. It wasn't until mid-2001, that the "Human Genome Project" and Celera Genomics jointly presented the true nature and complexity of the digital code inherent in DNA. We now understand that the DNA molecule is comprised of chemical bases arranged in approximately 3 billion precise sequences. Even the DNA molecule for the single-celled bacterium, E. coli, contains enough information to fill an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannica. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a double-stranded molecule that is twisted into a helix like a spiral staircase. Each strand is comprised of a sugar-phosphate backbone and numerous base chemicals attached in pairs. The four bases that make up the stairs in the spiraling staircase are adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G). These stairs act as the "letters" in the genetic alphabet, combining into complex sequences to form the words, sentences and paragraphs that act as instructions to guide the formation and functioning of the host cell. Maybe even more appropriately, the A, T, C, and G in the genetic code of the DNA molecule can be compared to the "0" and "1" in the binary code of computer software. Like software to a computer, the DNA code is a genetic language that communicates information to the organic cell. The DNA code, like a floppy disk of binary code, is quite simple in its basic paired structure. However, it's the sequencing and functioning of that code that's enormously complex. Through recent technologies like x-ray crystallography, we now know that the cell is not a "blob of protoplasm", but rather, a microscopic marvel that is more complex than the space shuttle. The cell is very complicated, using vast numbers of phenomenally precise DNA instructions to control its every function. Although DNA code is remarkably complex, it's the information translation system connected to that code that really baffles science. Like any language, letters and words mean nothing outside the language convention used to give those letters and words meaning. This is modern information theory at its core. A simple binary example of information theory is the "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." In that famous story, Mr. Revere asks a friend to put one light in the window of the North Church if the British came by land, and two lights if they came by sea. Without a shared language convention between Paul Revere and his friend, that simple communication effort would mean nothing. Well, take that simple example and multiply by a factor containing hundreds of zeros. We now know that the DNA molecule is an intricate message system. To claim that DNA arose randomly is to say that information can develop randomly. Many scientists argue that the chemical building blocks of the DNA molecule can be explained by natural material processes over millions of years. However, explaining the material base of a message is completely independent of the information transmitted using those materials. Thus, the chemical building blocks have nothing to do with the origin of the complex message itself. As a simple illustration, the information content of the clause "nature and design" has nothing to do with the writing material used, whether ink, paint, chalk or crayon. In fact, the clause can be written in binary code, Morse code or smoke signals, but the message remains the same, independent of the medium. There is obviously no relationship between the information and the material base used to transmit it. Some current theories argue that self-organizing properties within the base chemicals themselves created the information in the first DNA molecule. Others argue that external self-organizing forces created the first DNA molecule. However, all of these theories must hold to the illogical conclusion that the material used to transmit the information also produced the information itself. Although I'm not a scientist, logic tells me that the information contained within the genetic code must be entirely independent of the chemical makeup of the DNA molecule. Does this science stuff make sense? Am I correctly interpreting the awesome complexity of the DNA molecule that we only recently started to understand? It seems to me that anyone who goes out and truly investigates the miracle of the DNA molecule -- this incredible micro, digital, error-correcting, redundant, self duplicating, information storage and retrieval system, with its own inherent language convention, that has the potential to develop any organism from raw biological material -- has to be equally awe struck!
It is astonishing to think that this remarkable piece of machinery, which possesses the ultimate capacity to construct every living thing that ever existed on Earth, from giant redwood to the human brain, can construct all its own components in a matter of minutes and weigh less than 10-16 grams. It is of the order of several thousand million million times smaller than the smallest piece of functional machinery ever constructed by man.2With the discovery, mapping and sequencing of the DNA molecule over the last few decades, we now understand that organic life is based on vastly complex information code, and, like today's most complex software codes, such information cannot be created or interpreted without some kind of "intelligence." For me, truly understanding the scientific reality of the DNA molecule single-handedly defeated my life-long presupposition that life arose from non-life through random materialistic forces. Even with trillions of years, the development of DNA is statistically impossible. But, hey, let's dig in further... If DNA is the information storehouse that acts as the blueprint for cellular development, what do these functional cells look like? Are they really all that complex?
It is astonishing to think that this remarkable piece of machinery, which possesses the ultimate capacity to construct every living thing that ever existed on Earth, from giant redwood to the human brain, can construct all its own components in a matter of minutes and weigh less than 10-16 grams. It is of the order of several thousand million million times smaller than the smallest piece of functional machinery ever constructed by man.2With the discovery, mapping and sequencing of the DNA molecule over the last few decades, we now understand that organic life is based on vastly complex information code, and, like today's most complex software codes, such information cannot be created or interpreted without some kind of "intelligence." For me, truly understanding the scientific reality of the DNA molecule single-handedly defeated my life-long presupposition that life arose from non-life through random materialistic forces. Even with trillions of years, the development of DNA is statistically impossible. But, hey, let's dig in further... If DNA is the information storehouse that acts as the blueprint for cellular development, what do these functional cells look like? Are they really all that complex?
Critical Thinking 101
Sometimes it takes a simple thought -- Critical Thinking 101 -- to shake the foundation of an entire thought system… It was during a youth sports camp in late 1999 that I had an effortless epiphany. "Make sure your kids drink plenty of water," we were told. "Hydration, hydration, hydration -- that's the key." "No problem," I thought. "Everyone knows this basic principle of nutritional science." Then it hit me... When I was playing sports as a kid, water was treated merely as a reward. Even if we got a moment at the drinking fountain, the coaches would monitor our time so we didn't drink too much. "You'll get a stitch in your side!" they said. In fact, at half time, we only got orange slices, because fluids would "cramp us up and slow us down." Then, I remembered my father's experience with sports as a kid. During his generation, athletes actually took salt tablets -- sometimes in large amounts. Coaches actually viewed hydration during a game as taboo. Ka-zip (or whatever it sounds like when a shutter clicks on a camera)! I had one of those "picture-moment" experiences, where a truth comes into focus and sticks with you forever... Science isn't static. Science changes over time. The observable evidence doesn't change, but the scientific understanding of that evidence does… In my straightforward illustration, three generations of athletes faced three different views of nutritional science. The observable evidence regarding water and the human body didn't change, but the scientific presentation (and especially, the public perception) of that evidence advanced at least three times over a few decades. For some reason, this simple thought challenged me. For some reason, this inconsequential moment in my life opened a floodgate of far-reaching questions. I needed to look at the observable evidence again. It was time to start examining my decades-old presuppositions about science, nature and technology. I decided to go back to the big picture basics of the world around me... I started to read and study...
When it comes to the origin of the universe, the "Big Bang Theory" and its related Inflation Universe Theories (IUTs) are today's dominant scientific conjectures. According to these interrelated notions, the universe was created between 13 and 20 billion years ago from the random, cosmic explosion (or expansion) of a subatomic ball that hurled space, time, matter and energy in all directions. Everything - the whole universe -- came from an initial speck of infinite density (also known as a "singularity"). This speck (existing outside of space and time) appeared from no where, for no reason, only to explode (start expanding) all of a sudden. Over a period of approximately 10 billion years, this newly created space, time, matter and energy evolved into remarkably-designed and fully-functional stars, galaxies and planets, including our earth. Here's what the experts are saying about the origin of the universe: NASA: "The universe was created sometime between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion that hurled matter and in all directions."(http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/b_bang.html) UC Berkeley: "The big bang theory states that at some time in the distant past there was nothing. A process known as vacuum fluctuation created what astrophysicists call a singularity. From that singularity, which was about the size of a dime, our Universe was born."(http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/Education/IUP/Big_Bang_Primer.html) University of Michigan: "About 15 billion years ago a tremendous explosion started the expansion of the universe. This explosion is known as the Big Bang. At the point of this event all of the matter and energy of space was contained at one point. What existed prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation. This occurrence was not a conventional explosion but rather an event filling all of space with all of the particles of the embryonic universe rushing away from each other."http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/bigbang.htm) PBS: There was an "initial explosion" of a "primordial atom which had contained all the matter in the universe."(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dp27bi.html) American Association for the Advancement of Science: "In the last fifty years a great deal of evidence has accumulated in support of a "consensus" theory of the evolution of the universe. The theory holds that a "big bang" precipitated a huge split-second inflation of the universe, followed by a gradual expansion that continues to this day and is now accelerating."(http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/seminar/011603cyclicuniversesummary.pdf) All sounds familiar - I'll move on… When it comes to the origin of the universe, the "Big Bang Theory" and its related Inflation Universe Theories (IUTs) are today's dominant scientific conjectures. According to these interrelated notions, the universe was created between 13 and 20 billion years ago from the random, cosmic explosion (or expansion) of a subatomic ball that hurled space, time, matter and energy in all directions. Everything - the whole universe -- came from an initial speck of infinite density (also known as a "singularity"). This speck (existing outside of space and time) appeared from no where, for no reason, only to explode (start expanding) all of a sudden. Over a period of approximately 10 billion years, this newly created space, time, matter and energy evolved into remarkably-designed and fully-functional stars, galaxies and planets, including our earth. Here's what the experts are saying about the origin of the universe: NASA: "The universe was created sometime between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion that hurled matter and in all directions."(http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/b_bang.html) UC Berkeley: "The big bang theory states that at some time in the distant past there was nothing. A process known as vacuum fluctuation created what astrophysicists call a singularity. From that singularity, which was about the size of a dime, our Universe was born."(http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/Education/IUP/Big_Bang_Primer.html) University of Michigan: "About 15 billion years ago a tremendous explosion started the expansion of the universe. This explosion is known as the Big Bang. At the point of this event all of the matter and energy of space was contained at one point. What existed prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation. This occurrence was not a conventional explosion but rather an event filling all of space with all of the particles of the embryonic universe rushing away from each other."http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/bigbang.htm) PBS: There was an "initial explosion" of a "primordial atom which had contained all the matter in the universe."(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dp27bi.html) American Association for the Advancement of Science: "In the last fifty years a great deal of evidence has accumulated in support of a "consensus" theory of the evolution of the universe. The theory holds that a "big bang" precipitated a huge split-second inflation of the universe, followed by a gradual expansion that continues to this day and is now accelerating."(http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/seminar/011603cyclicuniversesummary.pdf) All sounds familiar - I'll move on…
Origin of Life - What's the latest theory?When it comes to the origin of life, "evolutionary theory" is still the foundation of today's scientific worldview. By and large, the text books teach that organic life sprung from non-organic matter exclusively through a natural mechanistic process on a pre-biotic earth. That original life form then evolved into more complex life forms through a natural process of random mutations and natural selection. In a nutshell, the majority scientific hypothesis is that matter randomly acting on matter for a long period of time created everything we see. That's pretty much what I remember - no real change there... Wait! My skeptical mind started churning... How can nothing explode? Where did all that matter and energy come from? What caused its release? How did this explosion of everything (from nothing) order itself? How can simplicity become complexity? Where did the chemical elements come from? Where did the mathematical laws and physical properties come from? How do we explain the design, complexity and fine-tuning inherent in spiral galaxies, solar systems, and stars? How did life come from a rock? How did a bird come from a lizard? Why don't we see birds come from lizards today? Why are there no transitional fossils in our museums today? Why have we never observed beneficial mutations? Where did the information code in DNA come from? Where did the language convention that interprets DNA come from? How can we explain the random development of the human eye, reproductive system, digestive tract, brain, heart and lungs? What about the subconscious mind? What about love, morality, ethics, and emotions? Can these things really evolve gradually and randomly over time? Jeepers! What was happening to me? Literally, I was in a state of "stream-of-consciousness" skepticism. Everything I knew (and thought I knew) about the world around me didn't make sense any more. I couldn't go back! If I was going to be intellectually honest with myself, I couldn't retreat to my prior way of thinking... I had to go forward and personally look at the observable evidence... But, where to begin? By chance, a co-worker had collected a few of today's high school biology text books. I opened one on a lark, and was stunned by the first page I saw. There was the same evolutionary chart of species that I remembered from the wall of my high school classroom. It was a tree-like graphic with a bunch of simple life forms at the bottom, and a series of more complex creatures towards the top. I always thought that was a reasonable presentation, but now my skeptical mind was whirring... Regardless of any theoretical problems with the tree itself, what about all the evolutionary processes required to get to the first simple life forms at the bottom of the chart in the first place?
Theory of Evolution - How does it really work?The theory of evolution as depicted through the evolutionary tree in my high school classroom only dealt with the macro-evolutionary chain between organic creatures. Through my quick study, I found at least five other fundamental stages of evolution that would be required prior to any possibility of organic life. In fact, each stage seemed essential to the next in the overall theory... The first is "Cosmic Evolution" - the idea that space, time, matter and energy somehow "exploded" (or expanded) from essentially nothing in the sudden "big bang" that was the birth of our universe. The second stage is "Stellar Evolution." Since the big bang is thought to have produced only Hydrogen, Helium and a variety of subatomic particles, these elements must have somehow condensed into stars through some sort of evolutionary process. The third stage is "Chemical Evolution." According to general thought, the only chemical elements produced by the Big Bang were Hydrogen and Helium (and possibly Lithium). As a result of the incredible heat and pressure within stars, these original elements somehow evolved into the other 88 naturally occurring chemical elements we observe today. The fourth stage is "Planetary Evolution." The complex chemical elements thought to have evolved within ancient stars were somehow ejected, possibly at the violent deaths of stellar life cycles, releasing great clouds of swirling compounds. These clouds of chemical elements somehow formed finely-tuned solar systems, including our own. The fifth phase is "Organic Evolution" (also known as "spontaneous generation"). The theory is that the planet Earth began as a molten mass of matter a few billions years ago. It cooled off into solid, dry rock. Then, it rained on the rocks for millions of years, forming great oceans. Eventually, this "prebiotic rock soup" (water + rock) came alive and spawned the first self-replicating organic systems. OK, now I had more questions than ever, but at least I made it to the base of the so-called evolution tree. This is where the sixth phase of general evolutionary theory occurs -- "Macro Evolution." All living creatures are thought to share a common ancestor: a relatively "simple" single-celled organism, which evolved from inorganic matter (so-called, "rock soup"). Essentially, the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers, are all genetically related. Oh, we need to add one more... The seventh and final stage of the theory is "Micro Evolution." Micro Evolution is the variation and variety of traits expressed in sexually compatible "kinds" of organisms. Examples include the differences between various kinds of horses, dogs, cats, etc. This "variation within a kind" is what Darwin observed in the mid-1800's, and what we still observe today... OK, let's recap... Evolutionary Theory appears to have seven distinct and interrelated phases, set by Science in the following order:
Cosmic Evolution. The development of space, time, matter and energy from nothing. Stellar Evolution. The development of complex stars from the chaotic first elements.Chemical Evolution. The development of all chemical elements from an original two. Planetary Evolution. The development of planetary systems from swirling elements. Organic Evolution. The development of organic life from inorganic matter (a rock). Macro-Evolution. The development of one kind of life from a totally different kind of life. Micro-Evolution. The development of variations within the same kind of life. Interestingly, the science books and the television documentaries declare that only the 7th phase - Micro-Evolution -- has been observed and documented. The first six phases of evolution are merely assumed… But that's OK, isn't it logical to use Micro-Evolutionary observations to connect the dots on all the other required "phases of evolution"? Wait. Where did this come from in the first place? Did this really all start with Darwin? Is this all in Darwin's book? Did I even read that book? It seems everyone remembers reading Darwin's Origin of Species, but how many of us really have? Darwinian evolution was presented as such an established fact in my high school biology class, I guess there wasn't any reason to go back and read the original theoretical treatise... That was then -- this is now. I decided to read Darwin's book for myself...
When it comes to the origin of the universe, the "Big Bang Theory" and its related Inflation Universe Theories (IUTs) are today's dominant scientific conjectures. According to these interrelated notions, the universe was created between 13 and 20 billion years ago from the random, cosmic explosion (or expansion) of a subatomic ball that hurled space, time, matter and energy in all directions. Everything - the whole universe -- came from an initial speck of infinite density (also known as a "singularity"). This speck (existing outside of space and time) appeared from no where, for no reason, only to explode (start expanding) all of a sudden. Over a period of approximately 10 billion years, this newly created space, time, matter and energy evolved into remarkably-designed and fully-functional stars, galaxies and planets, including our earth. Here's what the experts are saying about the origin of the universe: NASA: "The universe was created sometime between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion that hurled matter and in all directions."(http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/b_bang.html) UC Berkeley: "The big bang theory states that at some time in the distant past there was nothing. A process known as vacuum fluctuation created what astrophysicists call a singularity. From that singularity, which was about the size of a dime, our Universe was born."(http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/Education/IUP/Big_Bang_Primer.html) University of Michigan: "About 15 billion years ago a tremendous explosion started the expansion of the universe. This explosion is known as the Big Bang. At the point of this event all of the matter and energy of space was contained at one point. What existed prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation. This occurrence was not a conventional explosion but rather an event filling all of space with all of the particles of the embryonic universe rushing away from each other."http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/bigbang.htm) PBS: There was an "initial explosion" of a "primordial atom which had contained all the matter in the universe."(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dp27bi.html) American Association for the Advancement of Science: "In the last fifty years a great deal of evidence has accumulated in support of a "consensus" theory of the evolution of the universe. The theory holds that a "big bang" precipitated a huge split-second inflation of the universe, followed by a gradual expansion that continues to this day and is now accelerating."(http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/seminar/011603cyclicuniversesummary.pdf) All sounds familiar - I'll move on… When it comes to the origin of the universe, the "Big Bang Theory" and its related Inflation Universe Theories (IUTs) are today's dominant scientific conjectures. According to these interrelated notions, the universe was created between 13 and 20 billion years ago from the random, cosmic explosion (or expansion) of a subatomic ball that hurled space, time, matter and energy in all directions. Everything - the whole universe -- came from an initial speck of infinite density (also known as a "singularity"). This speck (existing outside of space and time) appeared from no where, for no reason, only to explode (start expanding) all of a sudden. Over a period of approximately 10 billion years, this newly created space, time, matter and energy evolved into remarkably-designed and fully-functional stars, galaxies and planets, including our earth. Here's what the experts are saying about the origin of the universe: NASA: "The universe was created sometime between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion that hurled matter and in all directions."(http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/b_bang.html) UC Berkeley: "The big bang theory states that at some time in the distant past there was nothing. A process known as vacuum fluctuation created what astrophysicists call a singularity. From that singularity, which was about the size of a dime, our Universe was born."(http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/Education/IUP/Big_Bang_Primer.html) University of Michigan: "About 15 billion years ago a tremendous explosion started the expansion of the universe. This explosion is known as the Big Bang. At the point of this event all of the matter and energy of space was contained at one point. What existed prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation. This occurrence was not a conventional explosion but rather an event filling all of space with all of the particles of the embryonic universe rushing away from each other."http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/bigbang.htm) PBS: There was an "initial explosion" of a "primordial atom which had contained all the matter in the universe."(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dp27bi.html) American Association for the Advancement of Science: "In the last fifty years a great deal of evidence has accumulated in support of a "consensus" theory of the evolution of the universe. The theory holds that a "big bang" precipitated a huge split-second inflation of the universe, followed by a gradual expansion that continues to this day and is now accelerating."(http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/seminar/011603cyclicuniversesummary.pdf) All sounds familiar - I'll move on…
Origin of Life - What's the latest theory?When it comes to the origin of life, "evolutionary theory" is still the foundation of today's scientific worldview. By and large, the text books teach that organic life sprung from non-organic matter exclusively through a natural mechanistic process on a pre-biotic earth. That original life form then evolved into more complex life forms through a natural process of random mutations and natural selection. In a nutshell, the majority scientific hypothesis is that matter randomly acting on matter for a long period of time created everything we see. That's pretty much what I remember - no real change there... Wait! My skeptical mind started churning... How can nothing explode? Where did all that matter and energy come from? What caused its release? How did this explosion of everything (from nothing) order itself? How can simplicity become complexity? Where did the chemical elements come from? Where did the mathematical laws and physical properties come from? How do we explain the design, complexity and fine-tuning inherent in spiral galaxies, solar systems, and stars? How did life come from a rock? How did a bird come from a lizard? Why don't we see birds come from lizards today? Why are there no transitional fossils in our museums today? Why have we never observed beneficial mutations? Where did the information code in DNA come from? Where did the language convention that interprets DNA come from? How can we explain the random development of the human eye, reproductive system, digestive tract, brain, heart and lungs? What about the subconscious mind? What about love, morality, ethics, and emotions? Can these things really evolve gradually and randomly over time? Jeepers! What was happening to me? Literally, I was in a state of "stream-of-consciousness" skepticism. Everything I knew (and thought I knew) about the world around me didn't make sense any more. I couldn't go back! If I was going to be intellectually honest with myself, I couldn't retreat to my prior way of thinking... I had to go forward and personally look at the observable evidence... But, where to begin? By chance, a co-worker had collected a few of today's high school biology text books. I opened one on a lark, and was stunned by the first page I saw. There was the same evolutionary chart of species that I remembered from the wall of my high school classroom. It was a tree-like graphic with a bunch of simple life forms at the bottom, and a series of more complex creatures towards the top. I always thought that was a reasonable presentation, but now my skeptical mind was whirring... Regardless of any theoretical problems with the tree itself, what about all the evolutionary processes required to get to the first simple life forms at the bottom of the chart in the first place?
Theory of Evolution - How does it really work?The theory of evolution as depicted through the evolutionary tree in my high school classroom only dealt with the macro-evolutionary chain between organic creatures. Through my quick study, I found at least five other fundamental stages of evolution that would be required prior to any possibility of organic life. In fact, each stage seemed essential to the next in the overall theory... The first is "Cosmic Evolution" - the idea that space, time, matter and energy somehow "exploded" (or expanded) from essentially nothing in the sudden "big bang" that was the birth of our universe. The second stage is "Stellar Evolution." Since the big bang is thought to have produced only Hydrogen, Helium and a variety of subatomic particles, these elements must have somehow condensed into stars through some sort of evolutionary process. The third stage is "Chemical Evolution." According to general thought, the only chemical elements produced by the Big Bang were Hydrogen and Helium (and possibly Lithium). As a result of the incredible heat and pressure within stars, these original elements somehow evolved into the other 88 naturally occurring chemical elements we observe today. The fourth stage is "Planetary Evolution." The complex chemical elements thought to have evolved within ancient stars were somehow ejected, possibly at the violent deaths of stellar life cycles, releasing great clouds of swirling compounds. These clouds of chemical elements somehow formed finely-tuned solar systems, including our own. The fifth phase is "Organic Evolution" (also known as "spontaneous generation"). The theory is that the planet Earth began as a molten mass of matter a few billions years ago. It cooled off into solid, dry rock. Then, it rained on the rocks for millions of years, forming great oceans. Eventually, this "prebiotic rock soup" (water + rock) came alive and spawned the first self-replicating organic systems. OK, now I had more questions than ever, but at least I made it to the base of the so-called evolution tree. This is where the sixth phase of general evolutionary theory occurs -- "Macro Evolution." All living creatures are thought to share a common ancestor: a relatively "simple" single-celled organism, which evolved from inorganic matter (so-called, "rock soup"). Essentially, the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers, are all genetically related. Oh, we need to add one more... The seventh and final stage of the theory is "Micro Evolution." Micro Evolution is the variation and variety of traits expressed in sexually compatible "kinds" of organisms. Examples include the differences between various kinds of horses, dogs, cats, etc. This "variation within a kind" is what Darwin observed in the mid-1800's, and what we still observe today... OK, let's recap... Evolutionary Theory appears to have seven distinct and interrelated phases, set by Science in the following order:
Cosmic Evolution. The development of space, time, matter and energy from nothing. Stellar Evolution. The development of complex stars from the chaotic first elements.Chemical Evolution. The development of all chemical elements from an original two. Planetary Evolution. The development of planetary systems from swirling elements. Organic Evolution. The development of organic life from inorganic matter (a rock). Macro-Evolution. The development of one kind of life from a totally different kind of life. Micro-Evolution. The development of variations within the same kind of life. Interestingly, the science books and the television documentaries declare that only the 7th phase - Micro-Evolution -- has been observed and documented. The first six phases of evolution are merely assumed… But that's OK, isn't it logical to use Micro-Evolutionary observations to connect the dots on all the other required "phases of evolution"? Wait. Where did this come from in the first place? Did this really all start with Darwin? Is this all in Darwin's book? Did I even read that book? It seems everyone remembers reading Darwin's Origin of Species, but how many of us really have? Darwinian evolution was presented as such an established fact in my high school biology class, I guess there wasn't any reason to go back and read the original theoretical treatise... That was then -- this is now. I decided to read Darwin's book for myself...
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