>From: RDehaan237@aol.com
>To: gmurphy@raex.com, RDehaan237@aol.com
> Let me ask a related question: In what way would the laws of nature, that
> were in effect before life appeared in the prebiotic world, have been
> changed when God added the novel formational capacity for matter to form the
> first living cell? Both you and Howard claim that in my position entails a
> change of prior laws of nature in effect before life began by the addition of
> new formational capacities to creation. What laws, how changed, and to
> what?
Bob, I'll try one more time to illustrate the nature of the point in a
situation far simpler than abiogenesis.
Suppose that in an earlier epoch H2O molecules had the abilities to form
only the solid and vapor configurations; they did not have the formational
capability to form liquid water. Then, in the spirit of your proposal, God
at some instant chooses to give H2O the additional formational capability to
form the liquid state. I am saying that such an addition of a new
formational capability necessarily entails a substantial change in the
structure and/or the interactive properties of H2O molecules, which in turn
entails some substantial change in what you are referring to as the "laws of
nature." Such a change could not, however, be confined to the properties or
interactive capabilities of H2O alone. The character of the entire universe
would be modified.
All formational capabilities of material configurations are intimately
interrelated with the character of the entire universe. A new formational
capability cannot simply be added without modifying the character of the
whole system.
Howard Van Till
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Dec 12 2001 - 09:39:31 EST