Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 21, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Design, Mind
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Eric Holloway: A philosopher explains why thinking matter is impossible

Denyse O'Leary
February 21, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Design, Mind
Holloway: Richard Johns's' argument is deeper version of Captain Kirk’s scheme to defeat enemy robots in I, Mudd, a 1967 episode of Star Trek. Kirk posed a paradox that led to circuit meltdown. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 20, 2020
Categorized
Evolution, Intelligent Design, Mind, Naturalism
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Michael Egnor: Why the mind cannot just emerge from the brain

Denyse O'Leary
February 20, 2020
Evolution, Intelligent Design, Mind, Naturalism
Egnor: Thoughts have emotional states; matter doesn’t have emotional states, just matter. So it’s not clear that you can get an emergent property when there is no connection whatsoever between that property and the thing it supposedly emerges from. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 20, 2020
Categorized
Epigenetics, Genomics, Intelligent Design
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New layer of complexity of the month: Epitranscriptomics

Denyse O'Leary
February 20, 2020
Epigenetics, Genomics, Intelligent Design
Layers on layers, systems on systems. Puts one in mind of Darwin’s Warm Little Pond, doesn’t it? Legacy science media should ramp up those Pond graphics. And keep the speculation about random events accidentally producing life coming. Speculate HARDER! Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 20, 2020
Categorized
Culture, Darwinism, Intelligent Design
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Mike Egnor offers to help Darwinist PZ Myers tell boys from girls

Denyse O'Leary
February 20, 2020
Culture, Darwinism, Intelligent Design
For a person who believes so strongly in the power of natural selection, yes, how the genes get together would be a good thing to know. Myers recently asserted that when he meets people, he infers nothing about their sexual identity. Egnor responds to the general question and the particular one in two parts. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 20, 2020
Categorized
'Junk DNA', Darwinism, Evolution, Genomics, Intelligent Design
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Yes, genes from nowhere ARE an “evolutionary problem.”

Denyse O'Leary
February 20, 2020
'Junk DNA', Darwinism, Evolution, Genomics, Intelligent Design
Glad we are talking about this… No need to believe us (though we did warn you). What's this about “rampant” order in the genome? “Rampant” is a word we associate with disease; it’s not a word we commonly associate with “order.” On the other hand, an order that frustrates the outworkings of Darwinian evolution in favor of an orderly system that produces needed innovations must seem a lot like a disease to some. ;) Read More ›
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 19, 2020
Categorized
Culture, Darwinism, Genetics, Human evolution
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Expert contra Dawkins, why eugenics wouldn’t really work

Denyse O'Leary
February 19, 2020
Culture, Darwinism, Genetics, Human evolution
David Curtis: We can now measure genetic potential directly from genetic markers and what we know from this is that these genetic predictors perform extremely badly. We can also tell that there are many important, very rare genetic variants which we will never be able to identify. Read More ›
Type
post
Date
February 19, 2020
Categorized
Astronomy, Cosmology, Intelligent Design, Sci-Tech watch

Betelgeuse watch, 2: Has it finally stopped dimming?

kairosfocus
February 19, 2020
Astronomy, Cosmology, Intelligent Design, Sci-Tech watch

Mebbe, for now. According to Forbes: >>The red supergiant star Betelgeuse appears to have finally stopped its unprecedented dimming, Villanova University astronomer Edward Guinan told me [ Bruce Dorminey] this afternoon. He says that although he’s unsure what has caused its strange brightness fluctuations, Betelgeuse is not likely to undergo a supernova explosion anytime soon.  “The star has been nearly steady in brightness now over the last 10 days,” said Guinan. We could be at minimum brightness now and very soon the star will slowly brighten if it follows its normal 420 to 430 period of pulsation, says Guinan. Or when the star periodically changes its  brightness, he says. >> Of course, supernova fans are still rooting for a big boom. Read More ›

Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 19, 2020
Categorized
Extraterrestrial life, Intelligent Design
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Harvard astronomer is back: Radio bursts could be aliens

Denyse O'Leary
February 19, 2020
Extraterrestrial life, Intelligent Design
The reader who sent this tip notes, “Consider me skeptical but it’s interesting that design inferences are fine so long as it’s just aliens…” Actually, reader, some science personalities will believe darn near anything about anything as long as it IS aliens. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 19, 2020
Categorized
Academic Freedom, Culture, Intelligent Design, Peer review
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Science media have strange standards for assessing corruption…

Denyse O'Leary
February 19, 2020
Academic Freedom, Culture, Intelligent Design, Peer review
Berezow goes on to add something very significant: “The scientific publishing industry is thoroughly corrupt, and AAAS and Science are now also a part of the problem. If and when all government-funded research is mandated to be released free of charge upon publication, journals like Science may go out of business. Good riddance.” Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 19, 2020
Categorized
Academic Freedom, Ethics, Intelligent Design
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At MercatorNet: For once, a woke “ethicist” gets shut down by people with disabilities

Denyse O'Leary
February 19, 2020
Academic Freedom, Ethics, Intelligent Design
Message to activists for persons with disabilities: Please fight for Peter Singer’s freedom of speech to display his agenda to the world while there is still a slight chance you can legally fight it. Leave the defense of censorship to those well-heeled woke who would also deprive you of your lives. So many of them will be only too happy to oblige in both cases. Read More ›
Type
post
Date
February 18, 2020
Categorized
Culture, Defending our Civilization, News Highlights

NASCAR’s Ryan Newman crashes horrifically, Mr Trump is praying . . .

kairosfocus
February 18, 2020
Culture, Defending our Civilization, News Highlights

Apparently, Mr Newman hit a wall. One for prayer, God grant mercy and grace. Mr Trump tweets: Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump Praying for Ryan Newman, a great and brave @NASCAR driver! #PrayingForRyan 121K 11:12 PM – Feb 17, 2020 That he is moved to prayer is a good sign. Let us pray for more. And, let us remember all who suffer and mourn. The road to revival starts with penitent prayer. END