Blind Evolution or Intelligent Design

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Blind Evolution or Intelligent Design?

• The role of chance in change

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Evolution

• General Definition
• Change Over Time
• Implied Definition
• All of the variety and complexity of life that
  now exists is due to accumulated effect of small
  changes selected by the process of Natural
  Selection during the struggle to survive

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Overview of Natural Selection

• Organisms exhibit variety due to sexual
  reproduction and random mutations of genes.
• Some variations give individuals a greater chance
  of surviving and reproducing.
• These individuals will pass on their features to
  the next generation more successfully.
• Following generations will exhibit the feature in
  greater frequency.
• Over time the population becomes a new species.

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Requirements for Evolution

• Inheritable Variation
• Provided by Mendelian Genetics
• Vast Periods of Time
• Provided by the Age of the Earth (4.5 Billion
  years)
• Changing Environments and Selection Pressure
• Varying conditions and ecosystems.

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Evidence in Support of Evolution

• Fossil record showing progression from simple to
  complex life forms.
• Homologous structures suggesting common
  ancestors.
• Embryology suggesting common ancestors.
• Acquired resistance in bacteria.
• Population Studies.
• Artificial Selection.

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From Science to Philosophy

• Science
• Search for Truth about the Universe using a
  process of proposing testable hypothesis,
  conducting repeatable experiments, and concluding
  based on observable evidence.
• Philosophy
• Search for Truth based on logical inference or
  basic assumptions about existence and the nature
  of reality and knowledge about reality.

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Assumptions of Evolution as A Philosophy

• Science can only deal with natural phenomenon.
• Therefore only natural phenomenon must exist.
• Evolution can Scientifically explain observation
  of diversity.
• Therefore evolution must be the explanation of
  diversity.

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Blind Evolution

• The process of change by natural selection does
  have supporting evidence and can be observed.
• Evolution driven by random, purposeless natural
  selection as a total explanation for all of the
  complexity of life should be questioned.

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The Controversy

• Micro-evolution and Macro-evolution.
• Biological Evolution and Chemical Evolution.
• Gradualism and Punctuated Equilibrium.
• Mutation and Increasing Genetic Complexity.

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Design As An Alternative

• Irreducible Complexity.
• Bacterial Flagellum
• Protein structure and enzyme catalysed reactions
• Design Inference.
• Improbability and Pattern
• Information Coding

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Historical Lessons

• God of the Gaps
• If supernatural intelligent design is only called
  into play to explain the things Science cant,
  what happens when Science does?
• Shifting Scientific Paradigms
• Science has itself been faced with several shifts
  of understanding that were once thought of as
  invincible theories proven beyond doubt.

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Lessons From Other Science Disciplines

• The same controversy exists in other disciplines
  if Science
• Astrophysics and Cosmology.
• Evidence supporting naturalism
• Big Bang
• Background radiation
• Sub atomic physics
• Evidence supporting Design
• Fine tuning of basic quantities to permit life