Re: An atheist professor & his student

oasysco wrote:
On Feb 7, 6:20 pm, Les Cargill <lcarg...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Elvis Kabong wrote:
"Stephen Cowell" <scow...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:lEEqj.54600$Pv2.42716@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"oasysco" <wilderkom...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote
...
But what is the mechanism by which bacteria become resistant. How do
they "know" the chemistry of our medicine and how can they adapt to
it?
Those that don't, die. It's very simple, really.
Happening in a test tube every day... natural
variation, random mutation, punctuated equlibrium.
Oh, and stealing... bacteria steal knowlege from
each other, in the form of genes.
How can a species change over time without ever being aware of the
very body they carry?
?? Awareness is completely unnecessary for this
process to happen.
What subsystems are at work that allow bacteria
to adapt and evolution to take place and the earth to be reformed and
for planets to support life and the universe to continue to expand
and, and, and...
Read up on the Anthropomorphic Principle...
we just ended up in a good universe, one with
observers.
And you're saying completely randomly?
That's like saying a pile of junk evolved into becoming a can of
Coca-Cola.
Go here:http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
and here:http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/gallery.php?grouping=year&year=2005
Now tell me Steve you still think it's random construction from
non-existence into functional existence without supernatural
influence.
You've got it backwards. *We're* working this backwards - we see stuff.
The stuff must have come from somewhere - the only ex nihilo event
known now is the Big Bang, or Genesis Lite if you prefer.

Once DNA formed ( I at least do not know how it did form ),
then DNA becomes a linear structure which operates roughly
as a vector object. Perturbations on vector objects is a
discipline known as Markov chaining. There are a Vast number
of changes over time - to a first order approximation,
all species are extinct.

Mutations happen, "unfit" mutations drop away. No intent
required... "unfit" in this case means "less likely
to be observed by humans." Clever, huh? No skyhook, though.

Best I can do is point to towards "Godel, Escher, Bach"
for a treatise exposing the linear-structures nature
of biology.

That all sounds great - the mathematical, rhythmic nature of things,
but what underlying systems drive it or at least enable it. In our
limited understanding of the universe, everything seems to be made up
of layered systems - computers, living organisms, planetary systems,
and the universe itself. There seems to be some kind of hierarchy to
the systems such that they are built atop one another performing lower
level functions either for or with the next system and so on, until we
have some sort of thing, be it a living organism, a rock, space,
whatever.


Meh, there ain't that many processes in play. People hierarchicalize
them because they feel like it.

I suppose that underneath it all, it's just a matter of energy
particles, but that's not enough to explain how energy comes together
to form a variety of systems that perform functions other than mere
existence.


We don't really know yet. We know pieces of it.

I'm the first to admit, this is all way beyond me. Eastern religions
have a jump on others as to the very nature of existence from the
original nothing, all is an illusion to all of us being part of the
same system.


Eastern religions all converge on denying reality at all.

It's just fascinating to me that we can exist in our bodies, use 'em
and abuse 'em for a lifetime and yet understand so little about the
systems that layer atop one another to allow us to live, communicate,
achieve... unless, of course, there are no such things as live,
communicate, achieve and all are simply machinations that we invent to
create a temporary reality for us to occupy.

Arggghh, this crap's becoming too weird for me. I gave up on
questioning the very nature of life a long time ago and am not sure I
even want to develop or adopt a new philosophy this late in life :)-

Greg

<snip>
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Les Cargill- Hide quoted text -

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Les Cargill
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