RE: Apparent Age

When I started examining the apparent age issue, I noticed many of the same
problems with the Morris-type analysis. However, what I'm proposing (see
http://www.hlfallout.net/~josh/apparent_age.pdf) is not partial/minimal
apparent age of the Morris order -- I'm arguing for Gosse-like complete
apparent age (though my argument is a heavy reworking of Gosse).

I very much agree that labelling non-essential apparent age deceptive while
deeming "essential" appearance somehow non-deceptive is entirely arbitrary.
They both attest to a causal past which never existed. If non-essential age
is regarded as deceptive for this, essential apparent age must be also.
However, my argument is that, in fact, neither type of apparent age is
deceptive if one considers the possibility of creation (see section IV).
With the deception criterion off the table, a presumption of general
consistency requires the presence of non-essential apparent age at creation
(section V).

If this reasoning is correct, it undermines the basis of current YEC
creation science -- not on some other interpretation of scripture or because
of physical evidence, but simply as a logical result of YEC's own reading of
Genesis. By rendering the reality of young-earth creation largely
unfalsifiable, it also mutes many of the objections to the YEC reading.
Sorry if this all sounds a bit confusing here, but I have explained the idea
in detail in the essay.

-Josh

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of Duff,Robert Joel
Sent: Monday, 22 May 2006 12:47 PM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: RE: Apparent Age

I appreciate Paul's comments about Adam as an example of the difficulty
of the apparent age problem. I've written some on the apparent age
argument and have expanded on this very topic a bit with a more specific
example. I've just copied the relevant portion below which follows a
prior discussion of a dichotomy that creation scientists try to create
to distinguish valid times when an apparent age argument can be made.
Morris and a few others have tried to erect a category called
"essential" appearance versus "deceptive" appearance of age.
Joel Duff/Akron OH
Received on Mon May 22 14:51:48 2006