This really could (should?) go in C&E, but I'd rather discuss it with the crowd that posts here:
Some creationists argue that the evidence could be interpreted either in favor of evolution or special creation of the species. I'd like to ask some of the creationists (I'm specifically thinking of Laptoppop and Mark Kennedy, but it's open to anybody) what experiment(s) you would propose or what evidence you would look for that would help decide between the two.
Thanks for the invite!
It sounds like you would like a once and for all prove it type of experiment. I don’t think that can be developed because there are always new ways to deal with conflicting data. For example, we might be able to disprove a particular mutational path or mechanism, but there could well be others which would suffice.
What we have is two huge broad interpretational frameworks. Each has enough room to accommodate exceptions and particulars. It is not even clear that we can use Occam’s razor – in that the less “likely” path may well be the correct path.
I think we spend a lot of time thinking/investigating/talking about the ants on the trees in the forests, and I'd like more work on the forests themselves. Specifically, it seems like we talk about this or that detail -- such as Green River varves or C14 in diamonds, etc., etc. These are interesting questions -- but virtually inevitably each detail can be accommodated within each interpretational framework with enough thought.
Personally, I would be very interested in experiments and modeling regarding the larger picture of how the geologic column was formed. The size and scale of the various formations requires a solid understanding of how they could be formed. We have geologic layers stretching hundreds of miles. We have alleged out of order formations also stretching long distances. There has been some work done, but I would like to see a lot more – both by supporters and detractors of a global flood. I have a gut feeling, but it hasn’t even started to be proven, that it may be able to be shown that because of the size of the formations they could not be formed *without* a global event. After all, they are stretching significant fractions of the globe.
In the same way, I’d like to see a lot more work on the methods of fossilization and rock creation. AFAIK, not all of the chemical and physical processes have been identified, especially for rock creation. There’s a fair understanding of how a single bone gets fossilized, but where do the minerals in the water come from? How does one account for whole groups of fossils?
