[asa] Did a single individual cross the ape-human threshold?

--- Dick Fischer <dickfischer@verizon.net> wrote:
> In essence and in theory there was a band of
> precursors who lived in one
> area at a particular timeframe, say 1,000,000 to
> 990,000 years ago, for
> example, who started out as "apes" if you could
> agree on a standard set of
> qualifications, and ended up human. Also in theory
> you should be able to
> identify a single individual who crossed the
> threshold however you define
> it, but as a practical measure you couldn't do it.

ED: If you consider the "soul" as something that only
human beings have, and that animals lack, then one
should consider the idea of a "soul-less" ape parent
suckling and caring for the first human (with a
"soul") baby. Creationists seem to have difficulties
accepting such a view. The Christian apologist
Swineburne suggests that apes MIGHT have eternal
souls! Darwin pointed out in answer to such questions
that you can't tell at what stage of embryogenesis a
"soul" is implanted into human beings as each of us
develops in the womb, so why worry about the stage at
which the first ape baby received the first "human
soul?"

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Received on Sun Aug 27 10:45:22 2006