2013 Westminster Conference on Science and Faith - Breakout Session 3

Westminster Conference on Science and Faith: 4/6/2013 - Breakout Session 3

Speaker: Paul Nelson – What’s Wrong with Darwinism?

Isaac Newton  ---------------------Chas. Darwin ----------------------------- Bertrand Russell

(c. 1700)                                   (c. 1850)                                       (c.1900’s)

Creation shows evidence of design---What happened to the evidence for design? --Not enough evidence

Russell had a high regard for the design argument vs. the ontological and other arguments.

How did the basic architectural differences of the different species come into being?

If, within a species or population, the individuals:

      a)      Vary in color or other trait (variation)

      b)      Leave different members of offspring in consistent relation to thee presence or absence of a certain trait. (selection)
c)      Transmit the trait faithfully to next generation (heredity)

If you cannot transmit, that means an evolutionary dead-end.

Biological journals have never shown detailed explanation (step-by-step) for the origin of complex systems (e.g. vertebrate digestion system) from natural selection.

This is currently an unsolved problem.

Theodosius Dobzhanski reluctantly treated micro and macro evolution similarly, because too much time was required to study macro evolution. Therefore, he extrapolated characteristics of micro to macro, making the assumption that micro changes are the method of both micro and macro evolution.

Darwinian Paradox

3 overlapping circles: development, common descent, natural selection)      Most cells begin as a single cell and are then fertilized.

     1)      If natural selection happens, mutation must start early.

     2)      Those are the least likely to allow the organism to survive.

     3)      The variations required for macro-evolution are destructive. You cannot vary genes that lie at the basis of many major adaptations or the organism will die.