Re: Science, Beliefs and Knowledge

In article <e3kqlk$c2k$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Micha Berger <micha@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sun, 7 May 2006 07:28:02 +0000 (UTC), Malcolm <regniztar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
: There are all sorts of problems in being a scientist and believing in a
: literal flood.
: For instance there are equations that measure genetic diversity and
: effective population size. So if Noah put seven pairs of clean animals and
: one pair of unclean animals on the ark, we ought to see that the kosher
: animals are more diverse, as having passed through a wider bottleneck.

Being a scientist does NOT mean that one MUST believe that everything
that happened in the past followed the laws of nature. Just that one
can plan for the present and future by identifying such laws.

If one does not believe that, one cannot use radiological decay
dating, red shifts to decide ages, geological formations, or
fossils for the purpose of inferring the past.

Apparently cheetahs got down to a small enough number at some
time in the past; they are so genetically similar that they
have no rejection problem. It has been estimated that this
was 8000 years ago.

Also, do you have any idea how many species there are of
visual size land animals? Those who wrote the Tanakh
didn't either.
--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: !! Now there is a White man with a great ideal!!! Dont let him pass any of his ideas to support
    ... I'm glad you posted that Neil. ... Wolves, and other animals. ... Proverbs, the Ten commandments, and Psalms makes life very pleasant ... seven laws of Noah and the several hundred ...
    (rec.sport.tennis)
  • Re: Hizbollahs recent raid
    ... like animals, so there's no point citing them for it. ... kill you, rise up and kill him first. ... are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. ... Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: The Tally-Ho! Theory of Language Origins
    ... is also present in other animals. ... and possibly drawing pictures of the prey. ... are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. ... Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Hizbollahs recent raid
    ... like animals, so there's no point citing them for it. ... kill you, rise up and kill him first. ... are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. ... Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: The UK Crime State
    ... A trial can easily cost 20-30 thousand pounds. ... Nature is shackled by no laws. ... Yet nature has produced social animals ... It takes no genius to conclude that human meddling, ...
    (uk.politics.misc)
Loading