Origins TheologyForum for the discussion of Creation Science (Young/Old) vs Theistic Evolution. Discussion of Atheistic Evolution should be taken to the Discussion and Debate forums.
A common creationist conception is that at creation humanity (and perhaps all newly-created species) were "genetically perfect".
I have no idea what "genetically perfect" means.
But a recent discussion on the evolution of language gave me this thought.
One of the prerequisites for human language is a precise positioning of the pharynx.
In most mammals, including the other great apes, the pharynx is placed high up in the throat, above the opening of the esophagus.
Even human infants are born with the pharynx in the high position. This enables them to breathe while breastfeeding. They can breathe and swallow at the same time.
During the first year of life, however, the human pharynx moves from this position to a position lower in the throat. This frees up the back of the tongue, allowing it to be more flexible. This is an essential condition for the development of human speech, especially for pronouncing the back consonants (k, g, , ng, the back "l" of "ball" the Scottish "ch" etc.) and the back vowels "oh" and "ooo" where the tongue is raised at the back of the mouth. Irrespective of mental capacity, the basic physical reason other apes do not speak like humans is that their higher pharynx blocks these movements of the tongue.
So a dropped pharynx is clearly one of the traits indicative of the human species and one we certainly prize as essential to human communication.
A possible sign of "genetic perfection"?
But wait. The dropped pharynx is dangerously close to the opening of the esophagus and the reason we are prone to get food "going down the wrong way".
Animals with a higher pharynx don't choke on their food. But this is a common danger for humans, and not infrequently fatal. IOW the same genetic innovation that gave us our capacity for speech also introduces a sometimes fatal imperfection. What sort of "genetic perfection" calls for this sort of trade-off?
__________________ The high, the low, all of creation God gives to humankind to use. If this privilege is misused, God's Justice permits creation to punish humanity~~ Hildegard of Bingen cited in, Earth Prayers from around the World
To add on to that thought: what was humanity's genetic makeup going to be like? After all, if Adam and Eve were the genetically perfect human ancestors, and if the preservation of genetic perfection involves not having random mutations (since random mutations are a degradation of this genetic perfection), then all humans would be at most genetic recombinants of Adam and Eve. Disturbing thoughts, given modern conservative Christianity's predilection against clones.
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And who that has understanding will suppose that the first, and second, and third day, and the evening and the morning, existed without a sun, and moon, and stars? - Origen, 215AD [De Principiis 4.1.16]
We now have all type of genetic defects (not sure what they are). So, the genetic perfection simply mean there was no such defects at the beginning. It may still do all type of other things. Functional inferiority on any of our organs seems not to be related to genetic imperfectness.
I know aging process is very complicate. But could we say the aging is caused by some genetic defects? If there were no genetic defects, how would an aged person look like?
I know aging process is very complicate. But could we say the aging is caused by some genetic defects? If there were no genetic defects, how would an aged person look like?
No. Good or bad, we die with the same genes we are born with. Some genetic defects are strongly linked to premature death, but there doesn't seem to be any that are specifically linked to normal aging.
__________________ The high, the low, all of creation God gives to humankind to use. If this privilege is misused, God's Justice permits creation to punish humanity~~ Hildegard of Bingen cited in, Earth Prayers from around the World
I think the more interesting question is, if Adam and Eve are "genetically perfect", what was their skin color? What is the melanin level of someone that is "genetically perfect". I always found it funny how Adam and Eve are always depicted as white, so is white skin the sign of genetic perfection?
__________________ Entropy is driving the universe toward "heat death" --- Jesus is the force behind the Strong Nuclear Force that keeps the protons together - Colossians 1:17. - AV1611VET
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