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Stupid Design

Started by stumblingvoyager, December 29, 2010, 04:00:10 AM

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stumblingvoyager

Rather than plagiarise this this wonderful idea, I'll hand over to the irrepressible NDG Tyson:

[NB: if this has already been posted elsewhere... my most sincere apolly-ologies: I'm new  ;) ]

[youtube:kqzh97tp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_nqySMvkcw[/youtube:kqzh97tp]

My major beef with creationism is that is very terrestriocentric; as soon as we leave earth, yahweh's (or zeus, or whatever he's calling himself nowadays) line starts to crackle somewhat... So, to what extent does Tyson's argument banjax the good ol' 'intelligent design' line?  Discuss!
"It is always from the depths of its impotence that each power center draws its power, hence their extreme maliciousness, and vanity"
-Gilles Deleuze

TheJackel

It shows that either said designer is dumb as we are, or there is no "designer". And then you look at the nutcase that just posted cutting the heads off Atheists..

Tokage

Love Tyson. It's almost comical hearing creationists say the Universe is designed for life where there is absolutely no where else known of to man that is habitable to life without the assistance of higher technology, and even then is only temporarily able to allow our frail human bodies to survive without suffering catastrophic health risks. We really are a fragile species, and there are a plethora of things that could come along and erase our short existance on this planet. It seems so obvious that we are but one species that has arisen on this planet by way of evolution, and to think a supernatural being has put us here under such stressed, dangerous and uncertain circumstances is ridiculous. Good post man.

Tank

If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

xSilverPhinx

The link isn't working anymore...  :sigh:

I think what they mean by the universe is "designed" for life is that life is possible - we know that it occured at least once - not that the universe is a place that we as a complex organsim can live without certain narrow specifed conditions for sustainability. I think that some of you are attacking that assertion as if it meant that the universe were like one infinitely big planet Earth.

For all we know life (mostly simple) may have erupted all over the place, with conditions less specified and narrow. In places that are hostile to us even.
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Twentythree

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on March 14, 2011, 05:42:02 PM
The link isn't working anymore...  <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/Sigh_emoticon.gif" alt=":sigh:" title="sigh" />

I think what they mean by the universe is "designed" for life is that life is possible - we know that it occured at least once - not that the universe is a place that we as a complex organsim can live without certain narrow specifed conditions for sustainability. I think that some of you are attacking that assertion as if it meant that the universe were like one infinitely big planet Earth.

For all we know life (mostly simple) may have erupted all over the place, with conditions less specified and narrow. In places that are hostile to us even.

I think it also depends on how narrowly you define "life". Is a virus alive? Is DNA alive? Depending on how broad a definition of life you want to use, any self self sustaining chain reaction could be considered alive.

Recusant

"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken