From owner-freebsd-chat Thu Aug 29 20: 6:36 2002 Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.FreeBSD.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id ACAE537B401 for ; Thu, 29 Aug 2002 20:06:33 -0700 (PDT) Received: from swan.mail.pas.earthlink.net (swan.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.120.123]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2D47343E65 for ; Thu, 29 Aug 2002 20:06:33 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from tlambert2@mindspring.com) Received: from pool0532.cvx21-bradley.dialup.earthlink.net ([209.179.194.22] helo=mindspring.com) by swan.mail.pas.earthlink.net with esmtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 17kc7D-0004Kg-00; Thu, 29 Aug 2002 20:06:32 -0700 Message-ID: <3D6EE0FD.8FA2080@mindspring.com> Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 20:05:33 -0700 From: Terry Lambert X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en] (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: "Neal E. Westfall" Cc: chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Why did evolution fail? References: <20020829191145.E37029-100000@Tolstoy.home.lan> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk List-ID: List-Archive: (Web Archive) List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: X-Loop: FreeBSD.org "Neal E. Westfall" wrote: > > > Is there some independent criteria for judging between > > > the two that is not arbitrary? > > > > Yes. Starting from first principles, can you build a working > > light bulb? > > Seems a bit arbitrary to me, besides the fact that both are likely to > claim to be able to do this. However, let's talk about those first > principles. What if the reason that both can build useful things such > as lightbulbs is that one of the two options is relying on concepts > which only make sense given the other's worldview, and in fact is > borrowing those concepts from that other worldview? The Catholic Church had 1800 years to do it, and didn't. Science, once formalized, did it in about 100. I guess I'm just one of those people who has a natural prejudice towards things which allow me to bend matter to my will. "But still, they revolve...". 8-). -- Terry To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message