From: Howard J. Van Till (hvantill@chartermi.net)
Date: Wed Jul 30 2003 - 14:36:19 EDT
I had said:
>>In regard to the sort of phenomena that ID advocates hold up for special
>>attention, the most that one could actually say on the basis of the natural
>>sciences is, "Yes, there are numerous phenomena that are not (yet)
>>understood in such a complete and detailed way as to satisfy ID's demand for
>>'causally specific' explanations."
Richard replied:
> I respectfully (and adamantly) disagree. It seems to be possible that
> knowledge of our universe may assymptitically approach certainty that
> abiogenesis is impossible through natural physical processes. In other
> words, it is conceivable that rock-solid hard-minded scientists could
> conclude on the basis of observations + theory that abiogenesis did not
> happen. This would not be based on an inability of science to explain a
> known phenomenon. Rather, it would be based on the full panoply of
> scientific understanding grounded in observation and theory. Am I wrong to
> assert this as a logical possibility? If so, why?
Yes, I believe that you are mistaken. You are in effect asserting that it is
possible to compute P(A|N) -- the probability (P) that abiogenesis (A)
occurred by the joint effect of all known and unknown natural processes (N)
-- with such high accuracy and confidence that natural abiogenesis could be
categorically ruled out.
But that is necessarily impossible because the only probability that you can
compute is P(A|n) -- the probability that Abiogenesis occurred by the joint
effect of all known (n) natural processes -- with further limitations
arising out of the finite human imagination regarding what those known
processes could accomplish in all possible circumstances. Ignorance of the
unknown and the limits of human imagination must be candidly acknowledged.
For these and other reasons, I look for the signature of the Creator not in
what the Creation is unable to do, but in the far more abundant and readily
available manifestations of what the Creation can do.
Howard Van Till
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