| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Michael Gray" |
| Date: |
01 Jun 2007 03:56:54 AM |
| Object: |
Darwin's greatest discovery: Design without designer |
Darwin's greatest discovery: Design without designer
Francisco J. Ayala*
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of
California, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697
(Full text at)
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/104/suppl_1/8567
Darwin's greatest contribution to science is that he completed the
Copernican Revolution by drawing out for biology the notion of nature
as a system of matter in motion governed by natural laws. With
Darwin's discovery of natural selection, the origin and adaptations of
organisms were brought into the realm of science. The adaptive
features of organisms could now be explained, like the phenomena of
the inanimate world, as the result of natural processes, without
recourse to an Intelligent Designer. The Copernican and the Darwinian
Revolutions may be seen as the two stages of the one Scientific
Revolution. They jointly ushered in the beginning of science in the
modern sense of the word: explanation through natural laws. Darwin's
theory of natural selection accounts for the "design" of organisms,
and for their wondrous diversity, as the result of natural processes,
the gradual accumulation of spontaneously arisen variations
(mutations) sorted out by natural selection. Which characteristics
will be selected depends on which variations happen to be present at a
given time in a given place. This in turn depends on the random
process of mutation as well as on the previous history of the
organisms. Mutation and selection have jointly driven the marvelous
process that, starting from microscopic organisms, has yielded
orchids, birds, and humans. The theory of evolution conveys chance and
necessity, randomness and determinism, jointly enmeshed in the stuff
of life. This was Darwin's fundamental discovery, that there is a
process that is creative, although not conscious.
....
(see above link for full text)
.
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| User: "Michael Gray" |
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| Title: Re: Darwin's greatest discovery: Design without designer |
02 Jun 2007 04:08:44 AM |
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On Sat, 02 Jun 2007 00:16:09 -0700, johac
<jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
- Refer: <jhachmann-108AD9.00160902062007@news.giganews.com>
In article <ennv53h81t9h4n3jrn6qoh0ghv1qivk648@4ax.com>,
Michael Gray <mikegray@newsguy.com> wrote:
Darwin's greatest discovery: Design without designer
Francisco J. Ayala*
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of
California, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697
(Full text at)
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/104/suppl_1/8567
Darwin's greatest contribution to science is that he completed the
Copernican Revolution by drawing out for biology the notion of nature
as a system of matter in motion governed by natural laws. With
Darwin's discovery of natural selection, the origin and adaptations of
organisms were brought into the realm of science. The adaptive
features of organisms could now be explained, like the phenomena of
the inanimate world, as the result of natural processes, without
recourse to an Intelligent Designer. The Copernican and the Darwinian
Revolutions may be seen as the two stages of the one Scientific
Revolution. They jointly ushered in the beginning of science in the
modern sense of the word: explanation through natural laws. Darwin's
theory of natural selection accounts for the "design" of organisms,
and for their wondrous diversity, as the result of natural processes,
the gradual accumulation of spontaneously arisen variations
(mutations) sorted out by natural selection. Which characteristics
will be selected depends on which variations happen to be present at a
given time in a given place. This in turn depends on the random
process of mutation as well as on the previous history of the
organisms. Mutation and selection have jointly driven the marvelous
process that, starting from microscopic organisms, has yielded
orchids, birds, and humans. The theory of evolution conveys chance and
necessity, randomness and determinism, jointly enmeshed in the stuff
of life. This was Darwin's fundamental discovery, that there is a
process that is creative, although not conscious.
...
(see above link for full text)
Nice find! Thanks.
From the journal with the puerile schoolboys' fave name:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "PNAS", commonly
pronounced "penis".
(As I go through my huge backlog of journals in reverse order, more
articles may be worthy of posting. I am about to "drown" in unread
science papers.)
Out of curiosity, I note that at the bottom of one of the piles from
the Jurassic Era are two as yet unread papers from 2002, "The
Physicist", Vol 39, #5, "Four Dimensions, More or Less?" by Robert
Delbourgo, and "Quantum applications of the Optical Beamsplitter", Vol
38, #4 (2001!!), HA Bachor.
Like the butcher who sat on his mincer, I think I am getting a little
behind in my work.
--
.
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| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: Darwin's greatest discovery: Design without designer |
03 Jun 2007 01:09:51 AM |
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In article <krc2639s83929fib38shfrd4u2kvpfolgu@4ax.com>,
Michael Gray <mikegray@newsguy.com> wrote:
On Sat, 02 Jun 2007 00:16:09 -0700, johac
<jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
- Refer: <jhachmann-108AD9.00160902062007@news.giganews.com>
In article <ennv53h81t9h4n3jrn6qoh0ghv1qivk648@4ax.com>,
Michael Gray <mikegray@newsguy.com> wrote:
Darwin's greatest discovery: Design without designer
Francisco J. Ayala*
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of
California, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697
(Full text at)
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/104/suppl_1/8567
Darwin's greatest contribution to science is that he completed the
Copernican Revolution by drawing out for biology the notion of nature
as a system of matter in motion governed by natural laws. With
Darwin's discovery of natural selection, the origin and adaptations of
organisms were brought into the realm of science. The adaptive
features of organisms could now be explained, like the phenomena of
the inanimate world, as the result of natural processes, without
recourse to an Intelligent Designer. The Copernican and the Darwinian
Revolutions may be seen as the two stages of the one Scientific
Revolution. They jointly ushered in the beginning of science in the
modern sense of the word: explanation through natural laws. Darwin's
theory of natural selection accounts for the "design" of organisms,
and for their wondrous diversity, as the result of natural processes,
the gradual accumulation of spontaneously arisen variations
(mutations) sorted out by natural selection. Which characteristics
will be selected depends on which variations happen to be present at a
given time in a given place. This in turn depends on the random
process of mutation as well as on the previous history of the
organisms. Mutation and selection have jointly driven the marvelous
process that, starting from microscopic organisms, has yielded
orchids, birds, and humans. The theory of evolution conveys chance and
necessity, randomness and determinism, jointly enmeshed in the stuff
of life. This was Darwin's fundamental discovery, that there is a
process that is creative, although not conscious.
...
(see above link for full text)
Nice find! Thanks.
From the journal with the puerile schoolboys' fave name:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "PNAS", commonly
pronounced "penis".
LOL! I never thought of that!
(As I go through my huge backlog of journals in reverse order, more
articles may be worthy of posting. I am about to "drown" in unread
science papers.)
Same here. I'm in the habit of downloading and printing out papers
telling my self that I will read them later. Somehow I'm downloading
faster than I can read. I have stacks going back to the mid nineties.
Then I have boxes of reprints and photocopies from every job that I ever
worked at. Some of those I never got around to reading either. Just not
enough time.
Out of curiosity, I note that at the bottom of one of the piles from
the Jurassic Era are two as yet unread papers from 2002, "The
Physicist", Vol 39, #5, "Four Dimensions, More or Less?" by Robert
Delbourgo, and "Quantum applications of the Optical Beamsplitter", Vol
38, #4 (2001!!), HA Bachor.
Like the butcher who sat on his mincer, I think I am getting a little
behind in my work.
LOL! Good one.
--
--
John #1782
"We should always be disposed to believe that which appears to us to be
white is really black, if the hierarchy of the church so decides."
- Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) Founder of the Jesuit Order.
.
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| User: "Michael Gray" |
|
| Title: Re: Darwin's greatest discovery: Design without designer |
03 Jun 2007 06:17:20 AM |
|
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On Sat, 02 Jun 2007 23:09:51 -0700, johac
<jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
- Refer: <jhachmann-CF38D2.23095102062007@news.giganews.com>
In article <krc2639s83929fib38shfrd4u2kvpfolgu@4ax.com>,
Michael Gray <mikegray@newsguy.com> wrote:
:
From the journal with the puerile schoolboys' fave name:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "PNAS", commonly
pronounced "penis".
LOL! I never thought of that!
I got it (the phrase) from one of my favourite "Hard" Science
podcasts, from Berkeley, "GROKS"**:
(Also on KALX 90.7 FM, but a trifle hard to receive from the
antipodes!)
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~clgroks/podcast.html
They regularly read articles from PNAS and have a lot of geeky fun in
the meantime.
"Berkeley Groks is produced by Charles Lee and Frank Ling.
Charles Lee earned his Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the Department of
Molecular and Cell Biology, and Frank Ling earned his Ph.D. in
Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry at U.C. Berkeley. Both
Charles and Frank received their undergraduate degrees from the
California Institute of Technology.
The duo like to toss around ideas about science, technology, and
business, and basically just avoid boredom."
That should take up another half hour of your 38 hour day!
Give it a go, from what I know of your personality, you will be
hooked!
** grok (grok) v. To perceive a subject so deeply that one no longer
knows it, but rather understands it on a fundamental level
(As I go through my huge backlog of journals in reverse order, more
articles may be worthy of posting. I am about to "drown" in unread
science papers.)
Same here. I'm in the habit of downloading and printing out papers
telling my self that I will read them later. Somehow I'm downloading
faster than I can read. I have stacks going back to the mid nineties.
Mid 1990's!! :(
That beats my record so far.
(Archeologists are commencing a dig in my files starting Tuesday,
commencing in the cuneiform in-tray.)
Then I have boxes of reprints and photocopies from every job that I ever
worked at. Some of those I never got around to reading either. Just not
enough time.
Tell me about it!
(But some other time, OK?)
Out of curiosity, I note that at the bottom of one of the piles from
the Jurassic Era are two as yet unread papers from 2002, "The
Physicist", Vol 39, #5, "Four Dimensions, More or Less?" by Robert
Delbourgo, and "Quantum applications of the Optical Beamsplitter", Vol
38, #4 (2001!!), HA Bachor.
Like the butcher who sat on his mincer, I think I am getting a little
behind in my work.
LOL! Good one.
Again, not mine, but my father's, (and his fathers father's)
(and his fathers father's fathers)
<Don't labour the point, Stan>
--
.
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| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: Darwin's greatest discovery: Design without designer |
03 Jun 2007 11:48:44 PM |
|
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In article <0m85635pmk6dg8g8pse8s7n7ahhv7fr2v9@4ax.com>,
Michael Gray <mikegray@newsguy.com> wrote:
On Sat, 02 Jun 2007 23:09:51 -0700, johac
<jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote:
- Refer: <jhachmann-CF38D2.23095102062007@news.giganews.com>
In article <krc2639s83929fib38shfrd4u2kvpfolgu@4ax.com>,
Michael Gray <mikegray@newsguy.com> wrote:
:
From the journal with the puerile schoolboys' fave name:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "PNAS", commonly
pronounced "penis".
LOL! I never thought of that!
I got it (the phrase) from one of my favourite "Hard" Science
podcasts, from Berkeley, "GROKS"**:
(Also on KALX 90.7 FM, but a trifle hard to receive from the
antipodes!)
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~clgroks/podcast.html
Interesting. I'll have to look into that. Thanks.
They regularly read articles from PNAS and have a lot of geeky fun in
the meantime.
"Berkeley Groks is produced by Charles Lee and Frank Ling.
Charles Lee earned his Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the Department of
Molecular and Cell Biology, and Frank Ling earned his Ph.D. in
Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry at U.C. Berkeley. Both
Charles and Frank received their undergraduate degrees from the
California Institute of Technology.
The duo like to toss around ideas about science, technology, and
business, and basically just avoid boredom."
That should take up another half hour of your 38 hour day!
Give it a go, from what I know of your personality, you will be
hooked!
I'll give it a try.
** grok (grok) v. To perceive a subject so deeply that one no longer
knows it, but rather understands it on a fundamental level
(As I go through my huge backlog of journals in reverse order, more
articles may be worthy of posting. I am about to "drown" in unread
science papers.)
Same here. I'm in the habit of downloading and printing out papers
telling my self that I will read them later. Somehow I'm downloading
faster than I can read. I have stacks going back to the mid nineties.
Mid 1990's!! :(
That beats my record so far.
(Archeologists are commencing a dig in my files starting Tuesday,
commencing in the cuneiform in-tray.)
Yeah. I haven't even got down to the ones with Roman numerals on them.
Then I have boxes of reprints and photocopies from every job that I ever
worked at. Some of those I never got around to reading either. Just not
enough time.
Tell me about it!
(But some other time, OK?)
OK.
Out of curiosity, I note that at the bottom of one of the piles from
the Jurassic Era are two as yet unread papers from 2002, "The
Physicist", Vol 39, #5, "Four Dimensions, More or Less?" by Robert
Delbourgo, and "Quantum applications of the Optical Beamsplitter", Vol
38, #4 (2001!!), HA Bachor.
Like the butcher who sat on his mincer, I think I am getting a little
behind in my work.
LOL! Good one.
Again, not mine, but my father's, (and his fathers father's)
(and his fathers father's fathers)
Ah. A family heirloom.
<Don't labour the point, Stan>
--
--
John #1782
"We should always be disposed to believe that which appears to us to be
white is really black, if the hierarchy of the church so decides."
- Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) Founder of the Jesuit Order.
.
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