What is the greatest evidence against the theory of evolution...?

[Subduction Zone]

How do simple chemical reactions cause cells to make proteins and replicate as needed by the rest of the body? How do cells communicate without a language?

Ask a biologist. Just because I can't answer your questions where you are grasping at straws does not mean that someone else can't answer you. That is too far out of my comfort zone.

 

[Armoured]

Okay, where did the selection mechanism come from in the case of life?

It's an emergent property of imperfect replicators. We observe it in any system where imperfect replicators are subject to a selection pressure. Asking "where did it come from?" is kind of meaningless. You might as well ask where any other universal constant comes from. I, personally, believe that God designed the universe to work that way, others will disagree.

 

[ClothedInGrace]

And it doesn't take too much explaining to see that the earth looks flat. Until you provide the evidence of viewing it from space!

The Earth is flat from our perspective, but spherical from a heavenly perspective. But, from every perspective we can find, life seems intricately designed. Is there a perspective on life in which it does not appear designed?

No and no. DNA is not language and language is not intelligence.

Okay, care to explain?

Again you attempt to shift the burden. I do not have to prove that we are not designed. You are making the claim that we are, so you must provide the evidence.

And if you wish to view the evidence in favour of evolution, I suggest that you enrol in a basic, free online course. The volume of evidence is too massive to present it in a discussion forum!

We either are designed or we are not. I say we are, and life very clearly looks it. You must prove that life doesn't need a designer.

 

[ClothedInGrace]

Well, things like the human retina are clearly inferior in layout to other examples, like the octopus' retina.

Care to explain how it is inferior? How would you have designed the human body?

 

[Armoured]

You are just explaining it with more evidence that cells communicate in some form or fashion.

Who said they don't? And why do you think that's problematic for the TOE?

 

[Subduction Zone]

Okay, where did the selection mechanism come from in the case of life?

Selection comes from the environment that a population lives in. If you observe nature you will see that it is somewhat "cruel". Animals produce more young than can live in an area. The ones that succeed in breeding and passing on their genes successfully are the ones that are "selected".

 

[SteveB28]

The Earth is flat from our perspective, but spherical from a heavenly perspective. But, from every perspective we can find, life seems intricately designed. Is there a perspective on life in which it does not appear designed?

Yes, it's called the theory of evolution! Have you been paying attention?

We either are designed or we are not. I say we are, and life very clearly looks it. You must prove that life doesn't need a designer.

I must do no such thing because I am not making a claim. YOU ARE!

 

[Subduction Zone]

The Earth is flat from our perspective, but spherical from a heavenly perspective. But, from every perspective we can find, life seems intricately designed. Is there a perspective on life in which it does not appear designed?

No, it doesn't. And this has been explained to you. You are not reading responses and understanding them. It is too late to give answers to someone that does not want answers. You need to slow down, read the posts that respond to you, and think about them. Your wild grasping at the smallest of straws only shows that yo are desperately trying not to learn.

 

[ClothedInGrace]

Selection comes from the environment that a population lives in. If you observe nature you will see that it is somewhat "cruel". Animals produce more young than can live in an area. The ones that succeed in breeding and passing on their genes successfully are the ones that are "selected".

We were discussing if a computer could arise from a junkyard. He said it could if there was a selective mechanism. I asked where it would come from if we were talking about life. Do you believe the environment chose to assemble life?

 

[Armoured]

Care to explain how it is inferior? How would you have designed the human body?

In the human eye the retina is made up of several layers of different kinds of cells. The sensitive rods and cones are at the back of the retina, facing away from the light. To reach them the light first has to travel through blood vessels, nerve fibres and then several layers of retinal nerve cells. The octopus eye, it seems, evolved independently to ours and whilst it is similar in many ways the octopus got the retina in ‘the right way’. Its rods and cones face forwards, and blood supply and nerves come from behind.

 

[ClothedInGrace]

Yes, it's called the theory of evolution! Have you been paying attention?

I meant that when you look at life as it is, is there anywhere we can look and not see design? The theory of evolution is only trying to explain away the appearance of design, but that doesn't mean we don't see the design.

 

[ClothedInGrace]

In the human eye the retina is made up of several layers of different kinds of cells. The sensitive rods and cones are at the back of the retina, facing away from the light. To reach them the light first has to travel through blood vessels, nerve fibres and then several layers of retinal nerve cells. The octopus eye, it seems, evolved independently to ours and whilst it is similar in many ways the octopus got the retina in ‘the right way’. Its rods and cones face forwards, and blood supply and nerves come from behind.

Again, can you explain how that is superior to our eye? The octopus, from a creationist perspective, is an entirely different creature with an eye that is used for entirely different purposes. In the evolutionary perspective, how is the octopus eye better?

 

[ClothedInGrace]

I must do no such thing because I am not making a claim. YOU ARE!

Yes, I believe we are designed, and life looks designed. That is my evidence, yet you don't believe it for some reason. What reason is that? Yes, yes, evolution, I know. Can you now prove it?

 

[Armoured]

Again, can you explain how that is superior to our eye? The octopus, from a creationist perspective, is an entirely different creature with an eye that is used for entirely different purposes.

Entirely different purposes? What, they dance the Can Can with it?

In the evolutionary perspective, how is the octopus eye better?

It doesn't detach, for a start. It doesn't have fauveal blind spots, the light receptors aren't behind a bunch of light diminishing structures...

 

[Armoured]

Yes, I believe we are designed, and life looks designed. That is my evidence, yet you don't believe it for some reason. What reason is that? Yes, yes, evolution, I know. Can you now prove it?

That isn't "evidence", by any meaningful definition. It's an opinion, a belief, an ad hoc assumption. It's not evidence.

 

[ClothedInGrace]

Entirely different purposes? What, they dance the Can Can with it?

It doesn't detach, for a start. It doesn't have fauveal blind spots, the light receptors aren't behind a bunch of light diminishing structures...

Yeah, do humans and octopuses live in the same environment or do the same things? Or rather, is God obligated to create all of His creatures with the same set of eyes?

What I should have been asking is this: In the evolutionary perspective, how is one design better than another? If it is based on survivability then I'd say our eyes have done us pretty good.

 

[ClothedInGrace]

That isn't "evidence", by any meaningful definition. It's an opinion, a belief, an ad hoc assumption. It's not evidence.

If you stumble across a painting on a cave wall, and you observe all of the design present in the painting and conclude that a human painted it, then isn't the appearance of design a clear evidence of it?

 

[Armoured]

Yeah, do humans and octopuses live in the same environment or do the same things? Or rather, is God obligated to create all of His creatures with the same set of eyes?

What I should have been asking is this: In the evolutionary perspective, how is one design better than another? If it is based on survivability then I'd say our eyes have done us pretty good.

Based on survivability, both eyes ARE pretty good! That's the point! Evolution provides "good enough" solutions. Intelligent design, one would think, should provide better ones, without the problems inherent in an iterative, evolved system. A "top down" designed eye should look more like an octopus eye than a human one.

 

[Armoured]

If you stumble across a painting on a cave wall, and you observe all of the design present in the painting and conclude that a human painted it, then isn't the appearance of design a clear evidence of it?

There are any number of natural formations in the world that "look" designed. Look at various tessellated rocks and columnar stones. Yes, a painting on a cave wall LOOKS designed, but we can test it closely to see if it WAS designed. Tessellated rocks fail at this step, as does biology. Just because something looks like something at first glance doesn't mean it IS.

 

[Hoghead1]

I meant that when you look at life as it is, is there anywhere we can look and not see design? The theory of evolution is only trying to explain away the appearance of design, but that doesn't mean we don't see the design.

Your point is weak here. Yes, there is design, but there is also much chaos. As Hume once remarked, at attacking the design argument, the womb of nature spews forth all sorts of abominations. Order schmorder. To strengthen your posit90on, you need to account for this disorder and chaos.