Re: Are there things that don't evolve?

In a message dated 3/25/2006 8:07:38 PM Eastern Standard Time,
gregoryarago@yahoo.ca writes:
help put the thread back on track.

Can you give an example or examples of things that don't evolve? Are there
things that don't evolve?

Off the top of my head, I can think of two things that don't evolve (not
counting supernatural things). These are:

1. logic and mathematics. While the "body" of mathematical research does
grow and evolve over time, the mathematics itself as an abstract concept does
not evolve; it is only discovered. Things discovered ages ago are exactly the
same today as they were back then, because the logic itself has not changed one
iota.

2. the fundamental physics that rules the universe. While there is
discussion that maybe the fine structure constant does change over time very slowly,
so perhaps some of the "constants" of physics do evolve, nevertheless there is
a firm belief among physicists that even this kind of evolution can be
understood by appealing to more fundamental laws that themselves do not evolve. This
is closely akin to #1, because of the close relationship between
reductionistic physics and mathematics.

Personally, I think that the laws of physics in the universe are analogous to
an axiomatic system in mathematics. There are a certain number of physical
"axioms" that science seeks to discover through reductionism. By the strength
of this analogy I think that there must be an infinite mind behind the
universe, because no axiomatic system can be complete and provably consistent without
first performing an infinite number of logical deductions (analogy to the
incompleteness theorem) and so I think the non-evolution of logic and physics is
closely related to the non-evolution of God's infinite mind.

God bless!
Phil Metzger
Received on Sat Mar 25 22:52:35 2006