Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 18, 2021
Categorized
Ecology, Intelligent Design, speciation
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This California story shows what a mess the whole concept of speciation is in

Denyse O'Leary
May 18, 2021
Ecology, Intelligent Design, speciation
Many issues are worth raising, including whether "species" is a clear enough concept to warrant being a measure, as opposed to, say, role in an ecology. When is it wise to intervene to preserve something? Goals driven by passions are often misguided and wasteful. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 17, 2021
Categorized
Cosmology, Intelligent Design, theism
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Stephen Hawking was actually overdue for a critical look

Denyse O'Leary
May 17, 2021
Cosmology, Intelligent Design, theism
Klinghoffer: "As Keating and Seife discuss, much of his fame, too, stemmed from efforts to disprove that God was needed either to account for the Big Bang that brought the universe into existence or to account for the physical laws that govern the cosmos." Hawking’s celebrity made it really difficult to discuss those issues in a forum where both sides were fairly represented. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 16, 2021
Categorized
Evolution, Intelligent Design
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Linnean Society is sponsoring a meeting on teleonomy in living systems 28th – 29th June 2021

Denyse O'Leary
May 16, 2021
Evolution, Intelligent Design
Linneans: "Although it is now widely accepted that living systems exhibit an internal teleology, or teleonomy, the full implications of this distinctive biological property have yet to be explored." Are the Linneans trying to come to grips with design in nature within a framework they can handle? Read More ›
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 16, 2021
Categorized
Intelligent Design, Religion, Science
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Michael Egnor: Is neurotheology just a “brain prosperity gospel”?

Denyse O'Leary
May 16, 2021
Intelligent Design, Religion, Science
Egnor: Neurotheology stamps a scientific imprimatur on the profoundly misguided doctrine that if you believe in God, if you observe the Sabbath, if you never fail to pray your rosary, your brain is better! Your frontal lobes get better blood flow, your hypothalamic neurotransmitters are better balanced, and your cerebellum is more finely tuned! But for what? A cerebral facelift? Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 15, 2021
Categorized
Extraterrestrial life, Intelligent Design
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Worry of the month: Could humans have contaminated Mars with life?

Denyse O'Leary
May 15, 2021
Extraterrestrial life, Intelligent Design
Christopher Mason: There is a chance, however, that if we do detect signs of life on Mars, it could have come from Earth in the first place. Ever since the first two Soviet probes landed on the Martian surface in 1971, followed by the US Viking 1 lander in 1976, there likely have been some fragments of microbial, and maybe human DNA, on the Red Planet. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 15, 2021
Categorized
Human evolution, Intelligent Design, language
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Homo erectus had language, says cognitive scientist

Denyse O'Leary
May 15, 2021
Human evolution, Intelligent Design, language
Everett certainly has a point. It is hard to imagine organizing the construction, launch, and navigation of such craft without language. How would an erectus get co-operation without explaining the idea? Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 14, 2021
Categorized
Animal minds, Cell biology, Intelligent Design
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How exactly do one-celled life forms learn?

Denyse O'Leary
May 14, 2021
Animal minds, Cell biology, Intelligent Design
Where do they store memories? New thinking is, changes in the state of the life form, resulting in changed behavior — which amounts to learning — need not “be someplace” or weigh something, for the same reasons as a full USB stick doesn’t weigh any more than an empty one. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 14, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Design, Philosophy, Science
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Could artificial intelligence change the mind–body problem?

Denyse O'Leary
May 14, 2021
Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Design, Philosophy, Science
Angus Menuge: I don’t see any reason from these amazing enhancements of the complexity of these [computer] systems to think that the systems would move from not having subjective awareness to having it or from moving to true intentionality about anything beyond themselves. Read More ›