Life Without a Net
Natural selection
Are Evolution and Intelligent Design Compatible?
Many “agnostics” suggest that elements of Intelligent Design are compatible with Evolution. Why isn’t it possible that there’s both a god who created life AND evolution via natural selection? This question represents a misunderstanding of evolution. Evolution is dependent on *non-intelligent* selection. That’s literally the whole point. All the predictions made by evolutionary theory rely … Continue reading
Questions and Answers
In 1519, Hernando Cortez dropped anchor just off the coast of what is now Mexico. His men brought a native back to the ship. Cortez asked the name of the exotic land, and the native responded, “Ma c’ubah than.” The accent was unfamiliar, and the Spaniard heard it as “Yucatan.” Today, maps the world over … Continue reading
The Real Crocoduck and Design
This is Tiktaalik. It was discovered by Neil Shubin and several of his colleagues, who had been looking for it for over a decade. In many ways, Tiktaalik is the scientific equivalent of the Crocoduck. It really is a transition between two modern forms of life — fish and amphibians. The details of Tiktaalik‘s “transitional nature” are very interesting, … Continue reading
Evolution Predicts Gaps in the Fossil Record
Today, I want to address a very common claim by Creation Scientists (sic!). It is said that the geologic column is incomplete, and that there are huge gaps where there ought to be gradual change. What these poor scientific illiterates do not understand is that according to the theory of natural selection, we should not expect … Continue reading
Suffering and Evolution
(Originally posted March, 2009) When I was born, Sociobiology had yet to be published. By the time I began my first year of “life science” in school, it was still being talked about only in the most erudite of academic circles. By the time I reached college, inklings of the dangers inherent in a sociobiological approach … Continue reading
Morality, Christian vs. Natural
I’ve written two articles which articulate the difference between natural morality and Christian (or other faith-based) morality, but it occurs to me that I’ve never actually presented them sequentially. So, for anyone who has difficulty expressing the difference, here’s the two-chapter version: WHAT’S WRONG WITH CHRISTIAN MORALITY If we assume that there is, in fact, … Continue reading
On Morality, “Should,” and Murder
The “Should Trap” and How we Ought to Behave I’ve frequently mentioned the trap hidden in the word, “should.” It’s time now for us to look at exactly what the word means, what it doesn’t mean, and how a good understanding of these things will allow us to understand how humans form concepts of morality. … Continue reading
More on Sexual Selection
I’ve explained in a little detail how female selection can cause runaway growth, as in a peacock’s tail or, as it turns out, a human brain. I’m just going to take a few minutes today to explore one more aspect of the math behind runaway selection. In most sexually reproducing species, there is really no … Continue reading
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