Chris:
>Because life is necessarily orderly, the question then becomes: Is design
>necessary for life as such?
>The answer is: No, not if prebiotic evolution can occur that evolves
>non-living molecules into living molecules (i.e., into energy-using
>molecules or systems of molecules). Whether this has occurred or not is not
>definitely known, but there is plenty of evidence that suggests that it
>*can* occur. This, combined with the fact that life *does* exist, is
>all-but-complete proof that something like this *has* occurred, at least
>somewhere in the Universe (probably right here in River City :-) ).
Bertvan:
Most people arguing against ID (still haven't figured out a label for your
guys) insist that abiogenesis has nothing to do with evolution. I agree with
you - it does. However you have made couple of leaps here. From admitting
no one knows whether prebiotic evolution is possible, you've gone to arguing
"it can occur", and from that to "it has occurred". The fact that life exists
is no proof of prebiotic evolution. The existence of life might have some
other explanation. I have no quarrel with your speculations. That's how
scientific discoveries begin. I would not discourage anyone so inclined to
continue their effort to demonstrate prebiotic evolution. I dispute such
speculations can at this point be declared "scientific truth", and cause for
discouraging pursuit of other explanations.
Bertvan
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