RE: [asa] geological dating

Don, index fossils provide an index simply because they occur in various
strata, in a distinctive order. One could posit, for instance, old-earth
creationism such that various species were created at various points in the
earth's history, but without a biological common descent from one to the
other. The fossils exist, the geological strata exist, and the index
fossils would still provide a reference to correlating them *with or
without* biological evolution being the explanation for the progression. At
least that's my understanding of the question and David's statement on the
matter.

Jon Tandy

From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of Don Winterstein
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 3:53 AM
To: asa
Subject: Re: [asa] geological dating

I'm puzzled as to why you say, "regardless of biological evolution." How
could there be index fossils if there was not a monotonic variation in
organisms? And such monotonic variation is evolution by definition.

Don

----- Original Message -----

From: David Campbell <mailto:pleuronaia@gmail.com>

To: asa <mailto:asa@calvin.edu>

Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 11:19 AM

Subject: Re: [asa] geological dating

The fact that certain types of fossils are observed in particular
layers and not others and can be used as index fossils is an
observation that stands regardless of biological evolution, despite
various young-earth attempts to deny it.

However, biological evolution gives the reason for the changes and for
why things do not appear, disappear, and then reappear the way they
might if different types of organism were being created from scratch
and put on earth.

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.