Huxter:
>Mutations are, for all intents and purposes, random in nature.
Bertvan:
Hi Huxter, Do you believe children should be indoctrinated with your sincere
belief that all mutations are random? Or most mutations are random? What
percentage? How do you prove randomness? Maybe, like your "god of the
gaps", randomness will have to retreat as more mechanisms behind mutations
are discovered .
Bertvan:
>> Materialists complain that ID proponents would stifle scientific research,
>>by attributing phenomena to God, rather than search of other explanation.
>>Materialists have stifled scientific research for a over a century by
>>insisting mutations must be random.
Huxter
>***** How is that? Such a matter-of-fact claim must surely have some meat
>behind it. How do you propose that such a dogmatic belief, if it in fact
>exists, WOULD stifle research?
Bertvan:
No desire to prove it. It seems obvious to most of us that few scientists
would expend much effort looking for something they don't believe exists.
Non materialists wouldn't have much interest in doing abiogenesis research
and materialists would be uninterested in looking for mechanisms behind
mutations if they are convinced "random mutations" are capable of creating
everything. You disagree?
Bertvan:
>>Since "random mutation and natural selection as an explanation of macro
>>evolution" became a passionately defended dogma of materialist
philosophy,
>>biologists have discouraged any search for other explanations.
Huxter:
>**** Why do you think that such a 'dogma' might be 'passionately defended'
by
>biologists? Could it be that no alternative explanations are worthy of
their
>'passion'?
Bertvan:
I'm sure many of us feel that only our own beliefs are worthy of passionate
defense. However I believe a wide diversity of belief and philosophy is
essential for any healthy, dynamic, creative endeavor. If materialists
sometimes try to stifle dissent with law suits, or by attacking the motives,
sincerity, intelligence and academic credentials of anyone who disagrees with
them, such attacks are counterproductive. They stimulate those they attack
to greater effort, and are apparent to uncommitted observers.
Bertvan
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